Score
by Zoe1105
Summary: Syaoran Li, captain of the Tomoeda High School soccer team and, according to him, soon to be professional soccer player. He had everything. A good and loyal fandom, the perfect girlfriend, and an outstanding future in what he loved the most... soccer. Everything was right till he made a decision that would change his life completely.
1. Chapter 1 - Letting Go

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Card Captor Sakura. I sadly just own the plot although if the owner wishes to give me Syaoran as a gift I would take him in a heartbeat.**

_**"Sometimes when things are falling apart it's for the best. It might seem like the end but actually it can be the beginning of greater things to come. Things that you were hoping for and praying for can now enter into your life. Prepare for it."**_**~ Brigitte**

**Chapter 1****  
****"Letting Go"**

"_The referee has added two more minutes on the clock. The ball goes to Kyu on the right corner. He's trying to get over James who's been phenomenal this evening. They're both battling the ball. Kyu passes the ball to, oh wait! Takashi steals it! He passes the ball to... no he faked a pass and kicks the ball straight to the middle. He finds Li in the middle! Li just passed two Wild Boars middle backs and he's all alone in the middle! Jin's right behind! He's trying to catch him! Li just entered the danger zone! I don't think Jin will make it! Here's Li, he kicks and Goooooaaaaallllllllll! Tomoeda High wins the match 1-0 with less than a minute on the clock." The announcer emotionally screamed down the microphone. "Unbelievable Elliot! This kid is amazing. As soon as he saw Takashi with the ball, he knew exactly what he needed to do and just went for it."_

"_Oh I agree with you Jack and what a speed! This kid is one of the best soccer players I've ever seen. And to think he just turned eighteen… The kid's a superstar. I can definitely say that we will all be watching his career with great expectation in the near future."_

"_Oh, I couldn't have put it better myself Elliot! Tomoeda High wins 1-0 with less than a minute to go. What a game folks!"_

"_At this rate, I think we'll be seeing Tomoeda High in that final for the first time."_

Syaoran Li, what else could be said. The soccer captain of Tomoeda High Falcons had done it again. One more win for the team that was like a family to him. Being a professional soccer player had been his long life dream since childhood and he was just on the right track to achieve it. His discipline and persistence had led him to the player he was today. Many spectators and commentators talked about his game and acknowledge his mind and passion when playing it. Words like prodigy or genius were always mentioned whenever commentators were talking about his way of playing.

His parents had allowed him to study and play abroad in Japan since he started his high school years. Although for many he was considered a genius when it came to soccer, his father had never been pleased with this decision of staying playing. His dream had always been for his son to inherit his company once he grew up but it was different from what his wife thought about it. Syaoran's mother saved him two years ago from been consumed by the family business for now. She was the one that ended up convincing Syaoran's father to let him play. Knowing her husband had always been a business man, she stroke up a deal to let him play all the soccer he wanted to play till he reached college. She even made the arrangements to have him stay with Wei in Tomoeda at least until he graduated. After that, he had to pick a university in which he would study a profession of his father's choosing that would benefit Li Enterprises so that he could take the company after finishing his studies. That was the deal.

For now, he was just enjoying his senior year playing soccer and being with the light of his eyes… his girlfriend Sakura.

"Hey man, great game!" Eriol said while jogging over to where Syaoran was along with Takashi on his side. 'The perfect soccer trio' was the phrase used by others whenever they played against Tomoeda High. The three of them were best friends inside the field as well as outside.

"Whoo! I'm beat. A nice shower and hanging out with my baby for the rest of the day." Takashi said.

"That's all you do Takashi aside from watching historical movies and inventing stories…" Syaoran sarcastically arched a brow.

"Hey, I'll let you know that's not all I do with Chiharu. I can tell you about the time we went to the park and we found ourselves in front of-"

"Whatever man!" Syaoran rolled his eyes and started walking towards the locker room.

Takashi was Chiharu's boyfriend. They had been together for almost two years now. Many guys wondered how he lasted so long with her because of all his stories but deep down Syaoran knew Chiharu loved to hear them and laugh at his creative imagination.

"Hey man!" Kyu, a Chinese six feet guy who was wearing the opponent's jersey jogged and catch up to Syaoran. "Great game today."

Syaoran laughed and smirked. "I told you we'd beat you! You should have changed schools for Tomoeda when you had the chance. I can smell the finals already."

"Yeah yeah whatever. Next time you will not be so lucky. If it wasn't for Takashi you would have ended up scoreless in this game."

Syaoran laughed at his comment. "Are you sure about that? I don't know. I keep thinking that I probably would have found a way to score anyways."

Kyu shook his head but smiled nonetheless. He had known Li since the eighth grade. They were both summoned to play on China's junior national team. Needless to say the passion both of them had for the game helped them become friends easily. But that wasn't the only thing they shared. Just like Syaoran, with his tanned skin and strong built he could make any woman sway his way. His short dark brown hair and sexy playful attitude was another of his attributes. Slowly he created a little fan club of girls crushing all over him wherever he go. It was not too hard to imagine why he had girls all over the school drooling every time they saw him.

Then there was the other link… his cousin Meiling, a hard to read and most of the time contradictory girl. Even with his good looks it wasn't easy for Kyu. She had never been an easy going person. The fact that at the beginning Syaoran wasn't too happy about their relationship, which completely pissed Kyu off, and a lot of time spent arguing with her made the pursuit much harder than he thought. But finally after a year of chasing her, Syaoran saw that Kyu's feelings for her were real and helped him a little. Finally last year she decided to give him a chance and they'd been together ever since.

"Well man, I'll see you later. My girlfriend must be waiting for me." Kyu said while smirking.

Syaoran chuckled and in a humorous way replied, "Yeah, we all know how she gets when she has to wait."

Kyu laughed. "I'll see you around." He turned around and walked away towards the visitors' locker room.

Syaoran started to walk towards his locker room with Eriol and Takashi when he heard his name been called.

"Li!"

Syaoran turned around to find Mark approaching them. He was a blonde, 5'8 built man who could very well be mistaken for a football player but he actually played soccer. Like Kyu, he played for another school but was friends with them because he was the captain of the Chinese national soccer team. "Hey man, nice game to all of you."

"Thanks Mark." Eriol said before turning towards Syaoran. "We'll see you inside." He said walking into the changing rooms with Takashi behind him.

Syaoran smirked as he waited for Mark to reach him. "So, did you just come to scout your competition for the finals or were you just enjoying the game?"

He laughed at Syaoran's question. "You've always been so competitive… but as it is I was just enjoying the game. Scouting I would have to actually do IF you get to the finals which, let me point out to you, you're not there yet."

Syaoran dismissed his warning with ease. "Well Mark, with a record of 13-2 it's no surprise who is making it to the finals…"

"Do I need to remind you to whom you lost those two games?" Syaoran glared at him. "Actually, I didn't come down here to gloat, although you deserve it for being so arrogant. Did you receive coach's message yesterday?"

Syaoran nodded. "Yeah, we all did."

"Are you thinking of going?"

"Well, I'm planning on training for myself until we finish school season and then I'll reincorporate myself with the national team. I think Eriol and Kyu would probably do the same. Why?"

"Well I spoke to coach and he said he wanted to start early this year."

"Yeah…"

"You know when you get that feeling were all of these practices and sacrifices will be worth doing so in the end?" Mark asked while Syaoran nodded his way. "This is our year Syaoran. I can feel it. That cup will be ours this year."

"Have you started training with coach already?" Syaoran asked.

Mark nodded. "This is our year Syaoran. I am telling you that it is."

"Then I'm sure it is. Let coach know that Eriol and Kyu will probably do the same workout as me the next time you see him. Also, tell him not to worry. I will make sure they are training enough to be ready for when we officially start practices again."

"Okay man. I'll see you at finals then… according to you off course." Mark smirked as he said his goodbye.

Syaoran chuckled and turned around only to find Sakura leaning against the wall with her hands crossed.

"Hey handsome!" She sweetly greeted him.

Syaoran smiled at her and suddenly he felt his day was complete. "Babe, what are you doing down here?"

She walked to him and put her hands around his shoulders. "What? Can't I visit my hot boyfriend in the changing rooms?" She seductively smiled at him.

He chuckled before putting his hands around her waist. "Sak… You're been evil with me." He said trying her lips before deepening it leaving both of them breathless in the end. He kept his forehead touching hers before asking her "Are you coming to the celebration party with me?"

She took a deep breath before backing away a little so that she could look him in the eyes. She knew he wouldn't take the news too well, but here it go. "I wanted to talk to you about that. I need to go see some places Kate listed for the fund-raising we have to do for the class very early tomorrow morning."

The minute the words were out of her mouth he sighed before looking away. "So you're not coming?" He asked.

"I don't know yet."

He took a deep breath. This was the way it had been lately, always arguing till it got too out of control and one of them would end it. He got her hands away from his shoulders and looked at her again. "Sakura, you know I hate it when you do this. You told me you were coming with me yesterday."

"I know baby, but it's just that this came up and well, what do you want me to do Syaoran? Being class president forces me to take care of these things."

"I know what you must do as class president, but can't you pick another day to do this? I mean, I told you about this a week ago and we talked about this yesterday. You told me you were coming with me."

"It's not so easy to cancel Syaoran. When Kate called in to make the appointments most of them were already booked. So I need to go see these places early tomorrow morning and choose one by this upcoming week. So I don't know if it's such a good idea to go out tonight knowing I have to get up really early tomorrow."

His mood had been shattered. "So you prefer to go see these places before spending time with your boyfriend?"

"Don't do this. You know as well as I do that is a lie. I would rather go out with you." Sakura desperately tried to explain to him.

"Then come with me to this party. Since you started the whole president thing we haven't been able to be together like before. Every time we can be together we spend less time with each other because you're always so busy. We don't go out like we used to anymore."

"You know I can't Syaoran. Why can't you understand it?"

"Understand what Sakura? That I've been replaced by a position at school?"

This time she was the one that looked away and sighed. "Forget it. I can't talk to you when you're like this." She said signaling that this conversation was over for now.

"Fine. I'll call you when I get to my car." With that he turned around and walked into the changing rooms. To say that he was mad was an understatement. Pissed would definitely be the right word to describe his feelings now.

~ o ~

"How are you so sure that I won't have to listen to all his arrogance in here?" Kyu asked from behind Meiling. The words Yuki Café could be seen from the other side of the road. They waited for all cars to pass by and started walking towards it. After every game it had become a tradition to come and hangout at this place.

"We'll just be a few minutes, I promise." She smiled sweetly at him.

He put his arm around her shoulder while crossing the street. "Oh really…? You know what I think?"

She shook her head while waiting for him to continue. "I think your lies, baby, are getting worse by the minute."

She laughed and waited for him to open the door for her. As she stepped inside, she looked for her friends. "I would never lie to you…" she joked.

"Right…" he spotted their friends and took Meiling's hand to walk towards them.

"Hey guys!" Eriol greeted.

"Hey!" Kyu greeted their friends as always. "Do you want the same, babe?"

She nodded taking the seat next to Takashi while Kyu went to put in their orders. "Where are Syaoran and Sakura?"

"I texted him a couple of minutes ago but he hasn't answered yet." Takashi said.

"Not even sure he's coming." Eriol said as an afterthought while taking a sip of his smoothie.

Syaoran and Sakura were the ones that had started this nice tradition, Sakura more than Syaoran actually. She had dragged him for the first time to the café after they had lost the chance to be in the finals last year. She said it was to make him let go of everything about the game and concentrate on his life outside of the field. He had hated it at first but it worked. A couple of weeks after, Tomoyo and Eriol added themselves with the excuse of wanting something to do after the games aside from going home. They invited Takashi and Chiharu and finally Meiling and Kyu started to come at the end. So it had become sort of like a tradition after every game to meet at Yuki Café downtown.

"Why?" Meiling asked.

"He had a fight with Sakura." Eriol answered.

"Again?" she asked. "What is it this time?"

"Well, he said something about her not having enough time for him anymore and well… you can imagine the rest."

She sighed. "I can't believe their fighting again."

"Well, you know he's got a point." Takashi started saying but when he saw Chiharu's menacing face he put his hands up to start explaining what he meant. "Wait, don't kill me yet, but I've heard she has cancelled some of their dates just because she has work to do. Don't you think he has a right to be mad?"

"Do I get mad at you for cancelling a date because you have to watch film, Takashi?" Chiharu asked.

"No, but that's different." He replied as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.

"Really… tell me how? To play soccer is an activity you do at school. Watching film is part of the duties you must do in order to stay on the team. How can I get mad at you for that? In her case, looking for places is part of her duties as class president. Now tell me, how is it different?"

"Well, what did I miss?" Kyu said while handing Meiling her cappuccino.

She raised a brow before sarcastically saying "Chiharu putting the periods where they belong."

"You go Chiharu!" Tomoyo cheered.

Takashi looked with disbelief in his eyes towards both of his teammates. "Aren't you going to defend my case?"

"No man, you're alone on this one." Eriol said and laughed at his friend.

"Hey Meiling, I heard there was a fashion show next month. Do you want to come? Chiharu's coming. The only ones that haven't confirmed yet are you and Sakura." Tomoyo excitedly said.

"Sure, count me in. When is it?"

"It's on Saturday the 18th at Millennia Convention Center. It's going to be awesome. I heard Yushimaru is coming up with his new summer line full of brilliant colors. Maybe after this fashion show I'll find the necessary inspiration to start drawing some more serious pieces. I want to move from dresses to doing something I've never done before like bathing suits, cute cover ups… I don't know. It'll be good for me to fill my portfolio with other works besides dresses."

"Yeah, I agree. I mean, we all know you are good with dresses but it's always good to have other pieces added to a portfolio. So, you can count me in."

Chiharu raised a brow and looked at Takashi, "Oh, I'm sorry Takashi, was I supposed to ask you for permission on going? I'm not sure if you wanted to have a date on that day."

Takashi sighed and dropped his head down. "You're not going to let this go, right babe...?" He asked.

The guys smirked while Tomoyo and Meiling just laughed. Chiharu always knew how to control Takashi since even before they started dating.

"I spoke to Mark over the phone. He says Syaoran will start training over here while high school season's on."

Eriol took a deep breath at his friend's words. "Well, there goes our little vacation at the Villas this summer. Is that what Mark came to say today?"

"Yep" Kyu took one sip of his smoothie. He knew exactly what Eriol had meant by that. The fact that Syaoran had always been disciplined when it came to training only had them missing on a lot of things they wanted to do outside of soccer. And although they would gladly do it, since it was to better themselves at playing, sometimes Syaoran was just too much into his training.

"Oh, I can talk to my cousin." Meiling was already trying to machinate a plan that would get him to approve her request… although it was easier said than done in this case. Speaking to Syaoran about getting a few days off from soccer was a real challenge. "Or, better yet, I can talk to Sakura. She'll make sure to have him come down to a normal person's sense and have him going to the Villas with us for at least a week."

"A week?" Takashi sarcastically asked. "Ja! Try a weekend. A week is too much even if it is Sakura asking."

Takashi's whining face had them all laugh again. He was already imagining all the training he was going to go through with Li this summer. Although he belonged to Japan, he was used to tagging along and training with them since it also helped him.

"Well, one thing's for sure… we all know who will probably be captain after Mark leaves this year." They all nodded to Kyu's comment. Although Syaoran was not the captain yet, he already had the character and leadership to be one. They all knew that the only reason Mark was the captain was because he was one year older than the rest. But if a chance came to take the captaincy, Syaoran would no doubt have it with both eyes closed.

~ o ~

She had been waiting for his call since his game ended, but he never called. Sakura knew he was pissed, but he needed to understand her. She was the class president which meant she had an obligation to meet their demands as best as her abilities would allow her to do so. I mean, she always understood when he had practice or when he had a game. Couldn't he do the same?

The game had finished around five in the afternoon. The clock read eight twenty three and she was still waiting for his phone call. She was getting a bad feeling about this and she didn't even know why. They had been through worst arguments than this and their relationship had survived. So she wasn't really sure why this argument was so different for him.

She decided to call Meiling to see if he was with them.

_"Hey Sakura!"_

"Hey Meiling, have you seen your cousin?"

_"He isn't with you?" Meiling asked her._

"No. We had yet another argument about the same thing. He got mad and told me he would call me after he got to his car, but he hasn't called me yet. I tried his cell and he's not answering either. Do you think Kyu knows where he is?" Sakura heard Meiling on the other side asking her boyfriend.

_"Nope. Kyu said he texted him to see if he wanted to go to the celebration together but he hasn't text back."_

Now she had a really bad feeling about this. For Syaoran to be mad was one thing, but to just disappear on his own without telling any of his friends was just another thing. He just simply never did.

"Okay, thanks Meiling. If you see him please tell him to give me a call."

_"Sure thing Sak! I'll see you later."_

"Yeah, bye!" Sakura hanged up her cell phone. She wrote text number 14: 'Where r u? Why aren't u answering ur phone? R u alright?' and for the fourteenth time it was ignored. She didn't like this. She didn't like this at all.

She got out of bed and started searching her closet for something suitable to wear. After choosing her outfit, she took a shower and dressed. 'If he's not going to answer his phone, then he'll have to face me in person.' With that said, she got ready and was out of her house an hour later and on her way to his apartment.

~ o ~

He heard knocks coming from the door. He had spent hours and hours sitting on his favorite dark green armchair staring at the lighted fireplace thinking about many things but they all came down to one thing. Wei opened the door to reveal what he had been expecting since his game ended. Standing outside the door was Sakura. He searched her eyes only to see she was trying to keep her feelings at bay but deep down inside she was furious.

"Hi Wei." She said while walking inside the apartment and looking straight at Syaoran.

"Welcome Miss Sakura. Do you want anything to drink?" he politely offered.

She shook her head while keeping her stare on Syaoran's eyes. "No thanks Wei."

Wei nodded. "Very well. If you need anything, I'll be in the kitchen."

"Thanks Wei." She looked at Wei, politely smiled and nodded before returning her gaze to him. "I've been calling you. Your friends have been trying to reach you. I've even texted you. You don't think that the least you could've done is answer to any of us so that at least we can stop worrying about you?"

"Is that any way of greeting me? You won't even ask if I'm okay." He softly asked.

"There's no need to. I can see you're perfectly fine."

"I wouldn't call it perfectly fine." He stood up from his armchair and walked towards the bar of his apartment. He took out a bottle of water and drank at least half the bottle.

"Oh really, do you need me to call 911 because you can't even answer your phone?" she sarcastically said as she walked towards the bar as well. She had always liked talking face to face instead of over the phone. It brought her a sense of comfort and assurance to see the other person's reaction to spoken words.

"I think we should break up." He sadly said to her.

She had seen his lips move but couldn't quite comprehend what he was saying. Perhaps she might have understood wrong because of the low voice he used to say the words. She stood paralyzed not processing them till she finally asked, "What?"

He finally turned to look at her face to face. "This is not working anymore Sakura. You know it isn't."

She felt as if someone had just punched her a million times on her stomach, given her a zensu bean to nurse her back to health in less than a minute and punched her a million times on her stomach again. She walked slowly to stand in front of him. "We have been through fights before Syaoran and have always been able to be alright after talking and fixing what's wrong. I'm pretty sure we can still do it again somehow."

He shook his head. "That's the problem Sakura. I don't think that this is right anymore."

"Is this about the celebration party?" she asked.

"No." was his simple answer.

"Because honestly Syaoran, to fight because of a stupid party is juvenile."

He sighed and looked away. "I'm tired of fighting Sakura."

"Then don't fight, talk!" she was about to lose control. She could feel the anger building up.

She saw him trying to blink the tears back before turning his face towards her. "I think we just got to the point where we are both too busy to be with each other." He ran his hands through his hair. "Before you won the class elections, you were always looking for ways in which you could help the class raise funds for this year but you still had time to be with me. And now, since you got the presidency from our class, you have been constantly working non-stop for the class. And you're good at what you do, I know that! Me on the other hand, I've been training to be in the finals this year. But since we qualified for the Asia Junior Cup tournament last year, I haven't been able to sleep well thinking that I'm still behind on my training. And even though we are not spending much time with each other, I don't think I can keep going like this."

Tears started running down her face even as she tried to blink them away. "Since when have you been feeling this way?"

He hated to see her cry and to know the reason for her tears were his words only added to his frustration. But there was just no other way of doing this. "A while."

She smiled and shook her head. This couldn't be happening. She took a deep breath and stared at his eyes once again. "You know I support you with your training. I've always given you the space you've needed when it comes to your training. I would never do anything to jeopardize your future or your soccer career so I still can't see how you could feel this way."

"You truly don't get it?"

"What? After been dating for three years and four months my boyfriend suddenly decided to dump me because he says he needs to train and, even when I give him enough time to do so, he still feels like it's better to break up." She sarcastically said. "Did I leave anything out?"

He shook his head once again. "Don't do this Sakura. Don't make this any harder than it is."

"Harder for who Syaoran?"

He couldn't take it anymore and draw her into a hug. "Please understand." He whispered softly on her ear. "You've become a distraction to me Sakura. Right now, I need to concentrate on my training and you need to concentrate on the class."

The class, the class, was that really all he thought she cared about? Nevertheless, she nodded in his arms and got out of his embrace. "Fine. If this is the way you want it."

"This is the way I need it. Are you going to be alright?"

'You still care…' she thought but instead nodded. "I'll see you around." She said before turning quickly and heading out the door.

~o~

She reached her house, parked her car and entered her house. She noticed that the living room light was still on which meant her father was still up. 'Crap!' It wasn't that she had some kind of curfew or anything, but her father never approved of her relationship with Syaoran. From the beginning he had warned her to be very careful with guys like him. He told her that he would hurt her, but despise his warnings she dated him. She gave him a chance only to have him become what her father had warned her about. And she hated when her father was right, because it meant that he was going to gloat about it.

She tried to go upstairs to her room without making any noise so that he wouldn't notice that she was home and that she had been crying, but she failed miserably at it. When she was in the middle of the stairs she heard her father speak from below "Did he hurt you already?"

She quickly cleaned her face before turning to see her father. She was not up to taking his advises tonight. Tonight she just wanted to be alone in her room and think about what had happened. "What do you want, for me to congratulate you on your great analysis of character?" Her phone started ringing. 'Xiaolang' it read. She ignored it and waited on her father so that she could finally get to her room and finish crying.

"I told you he would do it. Boys like him don't deserve girls like you, Sakura. Boys like him are meant to be with girls like your cousin who only worry about her appearance and loves to shop. You deserve someone much better than a soccer athlete. I told you once and I'll say it again, he is not good enough for you. I only tell you this because you are my daughter and I love you."

"Are you done?" Sakura couldn't hold her tears any longer. Her tears started to slip one by one. He had finish breaking her. She turned around without waiting for her father's answer and ran to her room. She threw the door shut and locked it. She put her phone in silence so that she wouldn't receive any calls tonight or in the morning. She just wanted to sleep.

She felt numbed. Her head was still spinning from the events that unfolded themselves tonight. For her it was still a little hard to comprehend what had happened. After been dating for three years and four months how was she supposed to face him now? She cried on her bed for hours. How many times she had gone over the events that took place this evening, she didn't know. She lost track of the time trying to make sense of everything that was happening in her life before finally driving herself to sleep.

The next morning she woke up to a strong pounding, signs of her head over protesting the morning light and her crying last night. She quickly walked into her bathroom to take a quick shower and try to feel better. After getting out she grabbed her cell phone and looked through all the missed calls. From the 23 missed calls, most of them from her friends who probably already knew Syaoran had broken up with her, there was one that caught her attention. 'My exit!' She hit the number from the person and waited for the other person to answer the phone.

"Have you thought about my proposition?" she heard the woman asked.

"I'm in!"

"I'll let him know then. He'll be very happy to hear the news. It was good talking to you again Sakura. I'll make the preparations for you. And… oh! Your plane leaves in three hours. We'll be waiting for you." The other person said before hanging up.

'That only leaves me with an hour to pack.' She looked at a picture Tomoyo took of Syaoran and her trying to skate on an ice lake. She remembered every time she tried to skate she fell down. The only way she could finally skate was with his arms around her so that she wouldn't fall. She smiled sadly at the memory while she took the frame and laid it facedown. She was out of here.

**Author's note:** Well first chapter is done. Please review after you read the chapter and tell me what you guys think. Your opinion means a lot! Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2 - A New Beginning

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Card Captor Sakura. I sadly just own the plot although if the owner wishes to give me Syaoran as a gift I would take him in a heartbeat.**

"**_You can't really begin to appreciate life until it has knocked you down a few times. You can't really begin to appreciate love until your heart has been broken. And you can't really begin to appreciate happiness until you've known sadness. Once you've walked through these valleys, the view from the mountain top is breathtaking." – Susan Gale_**

**Chapter 2  
"A New Beginning"**

_Seven Years Later_

"No, I want the ballroom primary colors to be red and white. I want the black luxury tablecloth for each table, and for the centerpiece I want the roses in form of a soccer ball inside the squared crystal vase you showed me in the picture. Make me a sample and let Suri know when you have it so I can see it before approving anything."

"_Very well Ms. Kinomoto." _

After hearing the answer from the woman on the other side of the line, she hanged up the phone and put a note on her Ipad. One more thing down of all the many she still had to do. Her coffee was already cold halfway down and forgotten on the corner of her glass desk while she shuffled through some other pages that were on her desk before filing them on the side drawer. She could still remember the day everything started to become so hectic for her.

_2 years ago…_

"_Has your mother already spoken to you about this meeting?" A woman looking very professional in her black suit and matching pencil skirt walked along side Xiefa to the conference room. Her light brown hair had grown throughout the years and her wavy curls flowed all the way to her mid back. The sound of her heels could be heard throughout the hall and on her hand there was an Ipad where she kept everything related to her job._

"_I already told you Sakura, I have no idea. You know how mom is…"_

"_Yes, well you know, something tells me you know what this meeting is about but for some reason you want to keep it from me."_

_Xiefa laughed. "Oh, nonsense! Why would I do that?"_

_Sakura stopped and watched her go inside the room. Something was off and she knew it. _

_During the years she had become really close with Xiefa. Aside from been workaholics, they both shared the same passion for working at Li Corporation. They were both perfectionist in what they did. This was the fourth year Xiefa had been working as a project manager inside the company, but in fact she was far more than that. She had become Yelan's eyes inside and outside of the company. You could say she took her family roots to heart as she had become sort of like Yelan's shadow in a good way. She watched step by step her mother's movements inside the company and was attentive of almost every matter concerning the company, which was why Sakura knew she was lying about not knowing what this meeting was all about. _

'_Oh well, I'll just have to find out.' Sakura thought before walking inside the room as well. The conference room was situated on the top floor at one of the corners. Two of its walls were made of glass while the other two faced the inside of the 53__rd__ floor. When she walked inside there was a cherry wooden table in the middle with seven people seated on their seats waiting for the meeting to start. She took a seat right next to Xiefa, as usual, and took a deep breath to mentally prepare herself for whatever was coming._

_Several minutes later, the doors closed, which only signaled that the last four people had arrived and the meeting could finally commence. After all the directors were seated, a power point presentation began on the huge conference LED TV and the blinds from the glass windows automatically scrolled down so that only the presentation could be seen._

_Yelan stood up and started the meeting, "After several meetings with the FIFA committee we have reached an agreement. Li Corporation will take care of all the promotional events for the World Cup here in China."_

_It was all Sakura heard. After hearing the words "FIFA" along with "all the promotional events" she finally put two and two together and understood why Xiefa didn't wanted to say anything... She would have to see him again after seven years. _

Needless to say, it was about that time already. She was going over the checklist for this event on her Ipad when suddenly her office door swung open. In came a girl about 5'9 with red glasses, her black smooth silky hair in a pony tail, and her hands full of folders. She put the folders down on Sakura's desk and tried to catch her breath.

Sakura stopped going over the list and looked up from her desk, "What is this Suri?"

"These are all the entertainment groups you asked for. They have quoted for both events on separate documents like you requested. They have also included their pictures and schedules for you to see them between this week and the next. I've already put all their information on the system just in case you need it. Also, Xiefa has scheduled lunch with you today. She wants you to try one of the chefs she wants to use for the welcome night."

She sighed. "What time is the lunch?"

"At noon."

She looked at her office clock which read 11:42am. "Hoe! Why didn't you tell me sooner…?" She grabbed her white leather coat from the seat. "Before I leave, these are the photo shoot agreements. I need you to get them signed by the players before the photo shoot. I already have a compromise tonight so I won't be able to do it."

She nodded. "I pin pointed the location of the restaurant and sent it to your phone. Happy lunching!" Suri said loudly as Sakura was rapidly putting her coat on and getting out of the office in a hurry. She had so much work still pending it was a miracle she was still sane or so she liked to think.

~ o ~

"To the right. Yes!" The sound of a camera flicking each time a picture was taken could be heard mixed in with the sounds of waves breaking on the shore. The photographer took several picks as he encouraged the girl modeling by saying, "That's it! One more! Perfect! That's it folks. We're done!"

Meiling sighed, "Finally."

A young red headed girl went over to her and brought her a purple robe to cover herself after the bikini shoot. "Here." She gave her the robe before going over her schedule with her. "Remember you have your hair appointment at Sasha's this afternoon and then later tonight you have Xin's party."

"I thought you had cancelled that..." she muttered while putting on the robe.

"Nope. You know you at least have to make an appearance. Tomorrow you're doing the perfume commercial in the morning before heading to the airport. Although I spoke with Xin today to confirm the party attendance and he requested to have lunch with you tomorrow. He said he wants to talk to you about some business."

"Carli!"

"Yes?" The read headed fixed her black glasses and nodded expecting Meiling's answer already.

"Do you know how much time I have spent away from my boyfriend already?" she calmly asked.

"Two weeks with three days and-" she looked at the watch she was wearing on her left hand before saying, "thirty seven minutes and still counting."

"That long... Don't you think it's long enough?" at this Meiling looked at her manager and smiled.

Carli knew that smile too well. The definition of it been 'cross me and your dead' so she just nodded before saying, "Which is why I told him that he could travel with us and discuss this business proposal on the plane back to China."

Meiling started to walk towards the dressers. "Fine! I'll talk with him on the plane." She suddenly turned towards her. "But, I'm not discussing business in China. Carli… make this clear to him. My time in China is mine and mine alone."

"Perfectly understood." Carli nodded nervously.

Meiling got into the dresser to change to normal clothes. She had graduated from college with a business degree but she had never liked it enough to pursue working in a business after that. When an opportunity presented itself where she had to model for one of her best friends Tomoyo, she took it and became a model ever since.

At first she signed with a modeling company to start meeting people inside the industry besides Tomoyo. This is where she came to know Carli. Her straight forward and sarcastic personality made them become friends real fast. As it resulted at the time, Carli was an agent that was looking to start working on her own. Even though Meiling could be a little, well… let's face it, very intimidating, it was easier to work with Carli since she already knew her. So, Meiling decided to leave the modeling company and work directly with Carli. And the move had been positive so far, by now Meiling had become one of the most acclaimed models in the fashion industry.

She changed to a long sleeve gray shirt and white skinny jeans before she started to get all her makeup off. It was amazing how many products these makeup artists used to put on models just for a shoot. She heard a knock on her door. "Yes…?"

"It's lover boy."

She quickly opened the dresser door and grabbed the phone from Carli's hands.

"Hi baby!" she sweetly greeted. His voice was all she needed to hear to switch from moody Meiling to all girly-girly Meiling. She heard him chuckled on the other side of the phone. She had been dating Kyu since they met in high school. One could think they had a real long time relationship but in fact since she started her modeling career they had been on and off when it came to been a couple.

"Hey babe! We just landed here. Are you done with your shoot?"

"Yes finally!"

"How did it go?"

"I think it went really well. I don't know… maybe you can tell me when it comes out in two weeks."

"Well… it's you baby. I'm sure it's perfect."

"Mmm... I can't wait till I see you tomorrow. Sucks that I have to stay one more day here…" she said the last part a little louder so that Carli could hear her too. Carli just looked at her and shrugged.

He chuckled again, "Well, don't worry. We probably won't be able to do anything today here besides practice. Babe, I'll call you when we get to the hotel. We're getting out of the airplane now."

"Okay… I love you!"

"I love you too!" she heard him say before hanging up. She was so ready for this modeling trip to be over. It would definitely be a change in scenery as she was in one of the islands for the photo shoot and she would be going back home where it was freezing cold but she didn't care. All she wanted to do was to see Kyu again.

~ o ~

A whistle was heard inside the soccer field and a group of soccer players started sprinting to the finish line. They had arrived in China around noon, and before heading for the hotel, their coach had already scheduled a practice for them. It was four in the afternoon and they were almost done with the practice.

"I don't understand why we have to have practice the same day we arrive." Xiun, one of their teammates said. He was a rookie that had started with the team last year. He had his hands on his knee trying to catch his breath as he watched his other teammates sprinting to the finish line as well. They were doing sprints in lines of five.

"Yeah, I mean… can't he at least gives us a day off? It's just a friendly match." Gee asked.

"And then in this cold weather…"

Another whistle was heard and in came sprinting Syaoran, Eriol, Kyu, Mark and another one of their teammates Lui.

"You're getting slow Syaoran…" Mark chuckled as he tried to catch his breath as well. "I almost catch you there."

Syaoran smirked. "What you almost catch was my dust."

"I can't believe you guys enjoy this?" Xiun asked.

Kyu and Eriol looked at each other waiting for the inevitable to happen. It didn't take Syaoran three seconds to react to his question. He looked at Xiun, "If you were to train the same way you like to whine about working hard perhaps you'd be worthy of playing and feel proud whenever you represent your country. The jersey we wear in each game comes with a heavy burden. If you're not willing to accept the responsibility you know where the door is."

"Syaoran!" Mark said in a warning tone.

He looked at Mark, "It's the truth. He needs to pick it up."

Mark sighed, "Don't mind him Xiun, he's just being an idiot. But really, we need to train. The more we train the better are our chances of winning that cup this year. Four years ago we were close to getting in to those finals, this year will be different. This is why we must use all the time we can to get ready."

Xiun nodded and got ready in line for the next sprint. The whistle was heard and his group started running.

"You know… you shouldn't treat the rookies so hard. We were once rookies too." Mark turned and said to him.

Syaoran scoffed. "I don't remember whining that much when I was a rookie."

Mark sternly stared at him. "It's different Syaoran."

He smirked, "Whenever you're ready 'mother', I'm ready to beat you again." He said while preparing himself for the next sprint.

Mark looked at Eriol and Kyu for some help but at the sight of them shrugging he sighed. They all got in line for their next sprint. Syaoran had always been competitive, he knew that much. He was always looking for ways to improve himself. Since they had met, he had always admired Syaoran's work ethic when it came to his training. It was part of the reason why he was the player he was today.

Several minutes later, practice was over and Syaoran was still in the field kicking the ball towards the net from the penalty kick zone. He would kick five balls, picked them up again and set them to start kicking them again. He was used to doing this after every practice for at least thirty more minutes before heading to the locker room to shower like the rest of his teammates.

"One day, I will be like him." One of them said.

The rookies where standing in the fence looking at him. "Are you sure he's not a machine?"

Eriol heard the same rookie Syaoran had snapped at ask on his way to the locker room and chuckled. "Don't take it to heart man. Syaoran can be an asshole sometimes but it's just because he loves this game too much. He knows where he wants to be and what it will take to get there."

Xiun nodded and headed towards the locker room.

Kyu sighed. "You know… we might have to come up with something to hold him off from snapping at every rookie that comes into the team or else we won't have a team for the next four years."

Erio chuckled. "I know." He said before heading towards the locker room to take a shower.

~ o ~

_"Li, you have been called by many a genius inside the field. What can you say about that?" a blonde reporter placed a microphone in front of him._

_He shrugged her question by answering "I appreciate the names but it's all just about teamwork and having fun on the field what it comes down to."_

_"There's been talk about you having been in negotiations to play in the European League. Is there any truth to that?"_

_"Honestly, my agent is the one that has that responsibility. I know he has met with some owners but other than that I still don't have anything for certain. For now, I'd like to focus on the World Cup this year. After that, I'll sit down with him and talk about my future."_

_"Coming back to China must have felt refreshing after so many years in Japan. How do you feel about playing at home?"_

_"It's always an honor to represent my country." _

_"Li, thank you for your time and good luck on the tournament. We'll all be rooting for China!" She said with a small cheer at the end._

_He gave a small bow and smiled at the camera before walking towards the bus and joining his teammates on it._

_"Back to you, Yuri."_

_"Such an amazing guy. To be so young and already be seen as if he carried the whole China team on his shoulders for this tournament. The bright young man of 25 years of age is set to play the Kahi Charity friendly match in a week followed by the World Cup Tournament on July here in China. We'll definitely be cheering for you and your teammates next week at the coliseum!"_

Yelan turned her TV off with a satisfied smile on her face. To watch all of her son's achievements was something to be proud off and more so after being able to convince her husband to let Syaoran be an athlete as he had always dreamt of being. It hadn't been easy but an opportunity presented itself and she gladly took it.

She had been able to visit him from time to time and enjoyed spending time with him and his friends in Japan. While he had studied in Japan, he had also signed a contract to play professionally over there. It was his first contract and he had been able to sign along with his friends. During those visits she could understand why he liked to play over there. And now word on the streets was that he was finally going to be signing a big contract at the European League of his choice. She was indeed a proud mother.

~ o ~

"Are you sure you want to stay at the hotel man? Auntie must be expecting you to stay at home." Eriol asked entering the hotel with his dark sunglasses and team attire.

"She should understand by now Eriol, wherever the team goes… I go. Until coach releases us, we stay in the hotel." Syaoran responded wearing his sunglasses, the team jacket, jeans, and a baseball hat to prevent people from recognizing him too much, although no one really knew who he was trying to fool.

"Ooouuhh… And here I thought we could at least get away from all this publicity madness the reporters have whenever they see a player passing by…" Kyu protested.

"Not to mention the nasty restaurant food…" Eriol added as an afterthought.

"Both of you stop. We're staying at the hotel until coach releases us. End of discussion." He calmly said but in a tone that clearly said this conversation was finished.

"Fine." Eriol said.

They walked inside the hotel doors with their bags on hand and alongside their teammates. According to their coach, he wanted them all together staying at the hotel for the charity friendly game because this was the hotel they were going to be staying at during the FIFA World Cup tournament as well. It was better this way so they could get a feel of their surroundings for when the cup tournament came in July.

"Without a question, this is one of the best hotels I've ever stayed at." Gee, one of their teammates said. As he looked around, he saw many butlers attending their guests. The golden Chinese carvings that decorated the top of the walls along with the modern decoration gave the hotel a luxurious feeling once you walked into the lobby. "You own this hotel Li?"

Syaoran looked around at the hotel and proudly answered, "Yes." Although it was a five star hotel, he was thankful that his father finally saw some sense on his last year of high school and understood that dealing with the business was not in his heart to do so.

They put their bags down on the lobby and waited for their coach to come back with their room keys. While they were waiting, a few girls came over to take pictures with the team. Couple of minutes later, the whole lobby was full of people taking pictures with the entire team but mostly with Kyu, Eriol and Syaoran.

"I don't know why you wear that baseball hat you know… It never works." Eriol smirked his way.

"Whatever man…" he said while smiling for the next picture with some fan girl. It wasn't that he was too arrogant to take the picture, but sometimes fans were a little aggressive on them.

Suddenly the coach came back with some security guards to separate the team from the fans. After the situation was under control, the coach started handing them their keys.

"Remember, for the rest of the day you rest. And make sure you do fully rest tonight." He said this last part looking at Kyu. From the team, he was one of the guys who trouble always coincidentally found him. "Also, stay away from the reporters and if you want to go outside this hotel, you must ask someone from management for permission. Last thing… no girls in the rooms."At this last statement he turned his face to look directly at Syaoran. "Got it?"

Syaoran smirked and took his key from the coach's hand. Such a shame, he had spotted two or three that had caught his attention from the lobby already. He walked with his other two friends towards the elevator.

"Why do I have a feeling that last part was meant only for us?" Eriol sarcastically asked.

"Well, I guess with Syaoran's record he felt a need to specify that to us." Kyu added.

"Whatever. I'm not the only one that has gotten in trouble for having girls in his room. Besides, this is different. The World Cup is months away. He should know I won't do anything stupid."

When the elevator door opened before them, they got in and press the last button. His mother made sure that the entire team was staying in the best available rooms… the hotel suites.

~o~

She looked at herself in the mirror and carefully put some lipstick on herself. It was a red color but she hated to draw too much attention to herself so she tried to just pat it on her lips so that the color wouldn't be too dark on her lips. A short black haired man could be seen in the reflection of the mirror. She smiled when she saw his dark brown eyes impatiently looking at his watch as he waited for her to finish putting her makeup on.

"Sakura, we'll be late if you don't hurry."

She smiled at her boyfriend. "Okay, okay, I'm done. Let's go." She sweetly smiled at him and grabbed his hand as he led her out of their hotel room.

"I'm pretty sure they understand that it is not so easy for any woman to be on time to any date, even if it's just dinner." She said while making sure that her dress was perfect. She was wearing a long sleeve white dress. The dress accentuated her figure as it fit perfectly through her upper body and fell loosely on her lower body. The loose long skirt that fell from the dress gave her an elegant look that wasn't too fancy to have dinner with Jun's friends neither too casual for the evening.

He laughed, "No babe. I'm not even sure why you girls have to wear so much makeup."

"You like us that way, don't complain." She said in a matter of fact tone.

He put his arm around her waist and in a low voice said, "I like you in many other ways that don't require makeup, in fact if you ask me I'd say I could think of a lot other times I've like you better without makeup on. Mmm… I could even consider calling Fey to cancel dinner right now and just go back inside our room."

She smiled at his childish comment. "You don't really mean that do you…?" she sarcastically asked him.

"Well, I'm pretty sure you'd enjoy it…" he smirked while the elevator door opened in front of them.

Her smile slowly started to disappear and was replaced by a stunned reaction as she looked at the figures standing right in front of them. Hidden emotions started running all over the place as she stared at him.

In front of her she found Eriol, Kyu and none other than the cause for her haunted dreams for these past two years…Syaoran. He was wearing a black long sleeve turtleneck under his team jacket that accentuated his now muscular strong figure, dark jeans and his favorite footwear… sneakers. She couldn't miss admiring his body even if she tried to. On TV it looked pretty good but nothing beats seeing it in real life.

She quickly turned her face towards her boyfriend to avoid his gaze. Those piercing auburn eyes that she with such difficulty tried to forget over the course of seven years still held a strong pull on her. If time hadn't changed him much she was pretty certain if he caught her admiring his body he would try to make an arrogant comment that would probably get her in trouble with Jun for the rest of the night.

"Sakura!" Eriol surprisingly exclaimed.

'Great! Just my luck!' She felt Jun's hand tightened protectively around her waist after hearing Eriol. "Do you know these people, love?"

She looked at Eriol and tried to hide her shock behind a small smile. "They studied with me at Tomoeda High a long time ago."

"A long time ago has been indeed." Kyu said in a low voice enough so that just the three of them heard what he had said.

She slowly let the breath she had been holding since she saw them out before saying "You'll have to excuse us. We're already late to an engagement we have right now."

"Sure. Don't let us hold you up. Are you staying here?" Kyu asked her.

She quickly looked at Syaoran's face. His face gave her the answer she was looking for. 'I need to do something before it's too late.' But before she could answer, Jun was the one that spoke. "Yes, well, just for this weekend. Perhaps we can even meet some other time so you can have time to catch up."

"Baby, we're really late now." She quickly said without allowing them time to say anything to his request.

"Oh yes. Well, excuse us." He said before leading her out of their way and into the elevator. They waited for the doors to close before walking through the hallway.

"Interesting… in all my life I would've never guessed she would've been dating someone like him." Eriol carelessly said.

"Do you know him?" Kyu asked.

"That's Jun, Senator Eli's first son. People say he will probably follow his father into politics once he finishes school this year." Eriol answered.

Kyu whistled. "Really, how do you know this?"

"I read the newspaper aside from playing, you know…" Eriol said. He turned to look at his cousin's reaction. The entire time Syaoran just stood there watching. He hadn't said a word yet which only increased Eriol's worries. He could only hope that Syaoran wouldn't go back to being who he became right after losing her.

They continued on their way to their hotel rooms as Kyu opened Syaoran's door with the slide card. Each player had gotten a separate room, but they usually spend their time together on the trips until the girls would arrive or they each had to go to their room to sleep. So, they all walked into Syaoran's room and settled their bags down. Trying to lighten the mood, Eriol turned on the TV and searched for any soccer game that the hotel channels could offer. While he was searching through the cable guide, he saw one from the European League and put it there.

"I heard from Mark that his coach on England is looking to see if he can sign the three of us on his team this year." Kyu said.

"Can you imagine the three of us on the same team at the European League?" Eriol commented.

"I bet it's going to be better than in Japan. I heard England is very beautiful and parties are top of the line." Kyu said as he laid himself on Syaoran's bed and started to watch the game. He glanced at Syaoran. His face gave an indication that he was not watching the game in fact he was still inside the elevator looking at Sakura.

Syaoran sighed. He sat on the corner of his bed and started to watch the game. He still hadn't said a word even with the game on TV. Usually he would be immersed into watching the soccer game, make comments about it, and joke around but right now he just wanted to be alone.

A knock was heard on the door and Eriol went to see who it was. "Syaoran," he called from the door and smirked, "a lady here is asking for you."

Syaoran stood up from the bed and walked towards the door.

"Already getting into trouble…" he said in a low voice so that only Syaoran was able to hear as he passed through the small hallway to reach the door.

"Shut it Eriol." He said before looking at the girl outside the door. She was wearing a loose blue blouse with working white dress pants and heels. In one hand she had her phone while the other was holding a folder. He could see the nervousness in her eyes as she saw him.

"Li, Syaoran! Your coach told me I could possibly find you three together. " She excitedly said. "My name is Suri Hatashi and I work for Li Corporation. You have been chosen along with Hirragizawa, Eriol and Matsushi, Kyu to be in the World Cup posters. I need you and your teammates to read these agreements and sign at the bottom of each page." She said as she smiled at him.

Kyu stood up from the table after hearing his name and went to the door. "These papers?" he took the papers from her hands and gave Eriol his, "Do you need them signed now?"

She nodded. Eriol and Kyu got their papers and sat on the table at the corner of the room to fill them out. "I'm sorry, but I just feel like I'm the luckiest girl alive right now. I know this isn't very professional of me but, can I take a picture with you three?" she excitedly asked.

Eriol looked up from his papers, "Sure!"

They stopped for a minute from reading the agreements to take the picture with her. She took the picture and squealed happily. "Oh I can't believe it. My friends won't believe me when I tell them I had the chance of meeting you three. And more so when I tell them I took a picture with you three. And to think that if it wasn't because of Sakura I wouldn't even be this lucky…" she cheerfully said.

The mention of her name woke Syaoran's interest. He raised an eyebrow and looked at her, "Sakura? You work with Sakura Kinomoto?"

She happily nodded. "My boss. She was supposed to come and do this but she had a previous engagement so she had to send me. Not that I am complaining. Oh, this is so exciting."

He scoffed putting his pen down, "Tell your boss I am not signing any papers unless she comes herself."

She suddenly stopped smiling and looked confusingly at him. "What?"

"Syaoran! Just sign the papers man." Kyu said.

Her joy suddenly vanished. "Oh but, I need you to sign them. Please sign them. I don't want to get in any trouble." She nervously said.

"Tell your boss that if she wants those papers signed, she can come herself and ask for it." He gave the papers back to her and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Kyu asked.

"Out! I need some air." was all he said before walking out the door.

She looked at Eriol and Kyu painfully, "Is he always like this?"

"Please excuse him. He's ah… not feeling very well right now." Eriol said.

She whined. "Mou… my boss will kill me if I don't get him to sign those papers."

"She won't. Trust me." Kyu said as he smiled back at the girl.

~ o ~

She walked outside of the hotel's restaurant followed by her boyfriend who was eagerly talking to his friends while guiding her out. She had barely touched her plate at the restaurant at all. After meeting Syaoran at the elevator, everything had changed. There was no doubt she still felt nervous when meeting him. 'Probably because it's been so long.', she thought.

To make it worse, the entire dinner conversation had bored her, yet she complied and accompanied her boyfriend loyally like she had agreed to. While getting out, she spotted Syaoran looking intently at her from the bar. She took a deep breath and sweetly turned towards her boyfriend, "Babe, can you get the car? I'll just go to the bar real quick while you get it."

"Sure." He said to her before turning again to his friends and re-taking their conversation. They had agreed to take his friends around the city on a night stroll, but before that she wanted a much needed drink.

His stare followed her every step without missing her body's movement. She was conscious that when they dated back then he had been able to read her like a book. She had to put an end to this before it was too late. She approached the bar and stood next to him while ordering her drink "Can I have a glass of whiskey on the rocks with coconut water please? Thank you."

The bartender served her drink in front of her. She took money out of her clutch to pay for her drink then set her clutch on the side. After having dinner with Jun's political friends she was craving one of these badly. Politics had always been a subject she hated even if for her Jun was a little different than other politicians. The fact that Syaoran was at the bar was an added bonus as she could finally put an end to his ridiculous stalking before it could even start to get worst while also having her much needed drink. It was like killing two birds with one stone. She tasted the hard liquor on her lips and relaxed.

"Isn't that a little too much alcohol for a lady?" He asked while taking a sip of his drink.

"I thought I made my statement very clear to you when I left." She told him without turning towards him. That elevator image of him still fresh on her mind as she had to acknowledge the power his stare still held over her.

"Must have missed it like your goodbye." He coldly answered her.

She gave a small chuckled before asking him, "Where you honestly expecting one?"

"You look nice in that dress."

She tiredly sighed. "Stop." She took another sip of her drink.

"You haven't told him about us."

It wasn't a question but a statement and one she knew very well the answer to. "He doesn't care for unimportant events from my past. What's important to him is our present and future together."

He smirked before calmly saying "You should leave him. Even after seven years away from you I can see you don't love him."

The arrogance behind his words made her turn towards him with a sarcastic smile on her face to hide her irritation after hearing his words. It had always infuriated her whenever he acted all knowingly and he knew this as well. It was one of the reasons why she knew that finding him here was already trouble for her. She needed to stop this and she needed to do it now. "We were done seven years ago Syaoran. Do us both a favor and stop looking for me." She said before finishing her drink and walking away from him.

He watched her walk away with a smile on his face. She was still cute when she got mad. It was something he had terribly missed and something he still loved about her.

~ o ~

Sleep didn't find her last night. His eyes had invaded her dreams once more only this time it was different. He was finally here. She welcomed the morning anxiously. Even though it was cold outside, she got up at 4:30 in the morning as usual, run for an hour around town, and then headed to her sanctuary… the office.

She was discussing more event ideas with Xiefa already trying to find ways of getting as much charity money as possible from the Kahi friendly match without forgetting about the big World Cup tournament which was almost there as well. Since both events were so close to each other they had to be careful and plan everything ahead to make sure not to miss anything or make a mistake.

"So you liked the chef?" Xiefa asked from the chair in front of her desk.

She nodded. "I think he'll be perfect."

"I'm planning on having father come out and test his food this week. He needs to approve before we sign the contract. Perhaps we could have him do a combination of meat and seafood. I'm not sure if we should hire another chef for the dessert."

She nodded. "It will probably be better to hire another chef that only specializes in desserts. You can never miss like that. I think your mother should go to the tasting as well. She knows more about food than your father."

Xiefa nodded. "I'll do that. Did you get the photo shoot agreements signed?"

She started looking at some papers in her office and making sure things were going according to the plan. She touched the speaker button on her phone, "Suri, bring me the signed photo shoot agreements."

She heard the door opened and her assistant Suri walked in. She approached her cautiously with the folders on her hand and slowly put them down on her desk. "Well… almost all of them are signed."

Sakura stopped what she was doing and look sternly at her. "What? You know I don't accept almost all of them, I need them all signed. We're on a tight schedule as it is."

Suri started nervously fidgeting with her nails. "I...I...I know Sakura, but one of them didn't want to sign it. I did try to get him to sign it by any means but um… he only said to relay this message to you."

She narrowed her eyes at Suri and gesture her to continue. "Well?"

"Syaoran Li said that if you wanted something from him, you should go personally and ask for it yourself."

"What?" she asked not believing the message relayed by her assistant.

Xiefa chuckled and laughed. This was just getting interesting. Before Sakura could kill the poor girl she intervened between them. "Alright, Suri you can leave us." She followed Suri to the door and, once the girl was out of the office, closed the door.

Sakura closed her eyes slowly and rubbed her fingers through her temples. A headache was already on its way... she could feel it. She took a deep breath before turning around and walking towards her window. It was always soothing to see people walking by the streets from her view in the office.

"Well, I guess my brother will definitely not make this easy on you. You know my mother wants him there."

"I know what she wants Xiefa, there's no point in reminding me." She snapped but in a controlled tone. She didn't needed to be reminded that he had to be in the photo shoot. Aside from being a Li, he was also one of the most popular players fans had an eye for. There was no way he couldn't be in that photo shoot.

"Well, as an advice, just ask him professionally. If I know my brother, any bad temper from you will make things a lot harder than they already are."

She sighed. "Can you please leave me alone? I need to think."

"Sure." She walked towards the door but before she left she turned around to look at Sakura. "If you need anything, just let me know."

Sakura looked at her and nodded. "Thanks."

She knew she couldn't avoid this. There was absolutely no space for errors and they were short on time. 'Fine! I'll go and make you sign this stupid contract… but you will definitely not like it.' She thought narrowing her eyes and already planning her vengeance on his little request.

**Author's note**: Well, here is chapter two. First off, I'd like to thank all of you who reviewed my first chapter. I love hearing feedback from people to keep learning when I'm writing each chapter. Also, it inspires me to keep going so many thanks! Second, some of you had questions that are already part of the story so I won't answer any of them in the author's note but if I find a question that is not part of the story line I'll definitely answer it here. This is something I had thought of doing for some time, I just was too lazy to start writing again. Well, hope you enjoyed it and please review the second chapter. You're the best!


	3. Chapter 3 - Picture Bring Back Memories

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Card Captor Sakura. I sadly just own the plot although if the owner wishes to give me Syaoran as a gift I would take him in a heartbeat.**

"_**As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let us down, probably will. You'll have your heart broken and you'll break others' hearts. You'll fight with your best friend or maybe even fall in love with them, and you'll cry because time is flying by. So take many pictures, laugh too much, forgive freely, and love like you've never been hurt. Life comes with no guarantees, not time outs, no second chances. You just have to live life to the fullest, tell someone what they mean to you and tell someone off, speak out, dance in the pouring rain, hold someone's hand, comfort a friend, fall asleep watching the sun come up, stay up late, be a flirt, and smile until your face hurts. Don't be afraid to take chances or fall in love and most of all, live in the moment because every second you spend angry or upset is a second of happiness you can never get back." - Unknown**_

**Chapter 3**

**Pictures Bring Back Memories**

They had come from practice two hours ago but he still felt something was bothering him. It was as if practice had not been enough, so he went over to the hotel gym and ran another forty five minutes on the treadmill before heading towards his room. He got out of the shower and put on his black long loose sporty sweatpants with a white tank and laid on his bed thinking. Immediately after, he heard a knock on his door and grunted. 'I just dropped into my bed.' He stood up and opened the door to find Sakura with a folder on her hand which he guessed was the photo shoot agreement.

"Sakura!" He smirked. "What a lovely surprise." She was wearing long black dressy pants and a white blouse. He could tell she had just gotten out of her office and went straight to the hotel by the look of her appearance.

She noticed the way he was dressed and how a few drops of water dripped from his hair into his tank but didn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her affected by it as she stared at him sternly, "Spare me your sarcastic greeting. Do you think I have enough time on my hands to be losing it on you?"

She was irritated, he could see that much. "Well, I wouldn't call it losing your time unless that's what you think of the agreement. But please, do come in." He said as he offered some space for her to walk into his room.

"I will not." She firmly said. "You're the only one who hasn't signed this agreement yet. Now, why would that be?" She narrowed her eyes at him.

He leaned on the door frame and crossed his arms on his chest as he smiled carelessly, "Well, I didn't saw it professional that an assistant would ask me for my signature. What if she wasn't really your assistant? You know… I have no way of knowing. I've got to be careful these days." He arrogantly answered.

She rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Sign the agreement."

"How have you been all these years?"

"In case you didn't notice, my well being should have stopped being a concern to you since um…" She mockingly made a thoughtful face then quickly answered, "seven years ago. Now, sign the agreement."

"Well, I can see you have grown moody over the years." He muttered.

Being in front of him was beginning to make her feel uneasy. She was losing her patience which was never good for anyone. She remembered what Xiefa had told her and tried to calm down before taking a deep breath and looking into his eyes, "Who do you think you'll be hurting if you don't sign? It won't be me, I assure you. These photo shoots are for promotions and if I remember correctly, you wanted to be the best soccer player in the world. For that, aside from good talent, you also need advertisements. In the end, by not signing, the only one you'd be hurting is yourself. So, sign the papers and I'll see you tomorrow on the photo shoot. Be there at nine, and don't be late." She placed the papers on his chest. Out of shock, he quickly grabbed the papers after feeling the folder pressed to his chest as he watched her turned around and leave without speaking any more words to him.

He playfully smiled as he watched her go into the elevator. There was something he found enticing every time he riled her up something that without a doubt he still loved doing.

~ o ~

Morning came and she had just gotten to the studio where the photo shoot was set to take place dressed in casual but still stylish business attire. Her white dressy pants and blouse was good enough to work but not to impress. Her light pink heals that matched the suit coat could be heard as she walked into the hallway and into the studio. They had been advertising this event for quite some time now using other pictures that were sent to her a couple of months before the exhibition game was to take place but she still wanted to take new pictures for the merchandise to be sold that day. According to her, this would help raise more money to help the communities after all that was the whole point of planning this event in the first place.

They had chosen four guys from Italy, four guys from China, and their coaches to do this photo shoot for the Kahi tournament. She watched the makeup artists work on their Italian athletes quickly so that the photographer could start with the shoot.

As she inspected everyone's work, she saw Syaoran was also in there getting ready for the photo shoot. She remembered speaking on the phone with Suri earlier and he still hadn't shown up back then. So, she had been wondering if he was going to show up or not. I mean, after all she hadn't been as professional as Xiefa had suggested, but she was glad in the end he had decided to come. She saw him flirting with the girl that was doing his hair for the photo shoot and narrowed her eyes. 'Idiot!'

"You should be careful Sakura…" a voice to her left called her attention as she saw Xiefa approaching with a knowingly smile on her face… the kind of smile she usually had when she knew something others didn't. "If anyone were to catch you looking at my brother like that they could think you still have something for him."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes, "You're imagining things."

Xiefa continued smiling, "I do hope so."

Sakura sighed. "Are the Italians ready? We should start this photo shoot."

Xiefa smirked and nodded.

Sakura walked towards the photographer, "Joe, we can start."

He nodded. "Okay people, let's go." As he said this, everyone got in place and he started the photo shoot.

He took pictures of each player individually, others he took with the four players that were representing their team and their coaches, and he also took some pictures of them individually doing an action with the soccer ball. It took him an hour to finish with everyone and finally wrapped it up.

"I'll have the pictures delivered to you this afternoon. That way you can tell me which ones you want in banners and which ones you want in posters." He said to her.

"We recently got a contract with a beverage company to place the pictures on their cans. Do you think you can also do an art of their pictures to digitally send them to the company?"

"As you wish love. Anything for you." The photographer said as he smiled to her.

She smiled back and nodded. "I'll try to answer this week so that we don't delay this any longer."

He nodded and started to put his camera away. "Well, you have my cell phone. Call me whenever you're ready."

She nodded and sighed.

"Sakura!" Xiefa walked towards her. "I just received a call from the field manager telling me that some lights are out. The charity tournament is next weekend. We can't have these types of fallbacks right now. Do you think we can call a repair company right now to have them fixed?"

"We need a quote Xiefa. We can't go over budget on this."

"I think I can convince father. It shouldn't be that hard for him to understand."

"No Xiefa. The budget is already set. I'm pretty sure we can receive a quote by today or tomorrow for the service without going over."

She heard laughing at her side and turned to see him joking around with his friends. The hairdresser from earlier was also there laughing at his jokes. Sakura didn't miss the playful smack she gave him as he said something to her that made her laugh again, leaving no doubt of her interest in him.

Xiefa looked towards the direction her attention switched to and chuckled. "Don't you have a boyfriend?"

"Yes I do." She said before turning her attention to a chart on her iPad.

"Then why do you keep looking at my brother like that?"

She knew Xiefa was only teasing her and she wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of doing so. "You're imagining things again. My Xiefa…" she mockingly looked at her friend, "I didn't know you had such a vivid imagination."

Xiefa cunningly smiled, "From what I hear he hasn't had a steady relationship since you left him."

Sakura looked at the chart on her iPad again and sighed. "Not sure why you're even telling me this."

"I've even heard that girls go crazy for him. His little fan club has increased greatly in these past few years." Xiefa said and chuckled again.

"Along with his many conquests I bet." She muttered still looking at the chart. After analyzing the information she turned towards Xiefa and sighed. "It just feels weird to see him again after seven years."

"Well, I can always get you copies of the magazines he's been in so you can see how he has developed throughout all those seven years."

She rolled her eyes at her so called friend, "You know what I mean. Pictures are never the same as looking at him here."

Xiefa chuckled. "The offer still stands. I'm pretty sure my mother's collection should have all of them since he started playing pro." Then she smirked, "I'm pretty sure you could even catch some pictures of when he was a baby. You know, you actually never told me how you got him to sign the papers."

"Don't ask. Not even I know." she sighed as she started to write some notes down.

On the other side of the room, the guys were joking about some problems Syaoran had gotten into in one of their trips back in Japan.

"Hey, I told you. I'm not the only one who has gotten in trouble for it."

The hairdresser smacked him in the arm. "Oh Li, you're such a bad boy aren't you?"

He smiled at her, "You know… we should definitely go out tonight. What do you guys think?"

"Well, I have no problems. Tomoyo is already here so we should do something."

"I'm game. Meiling would probably want to go for a few minutes. After that I don't promise anything." Kyu jokingly said.

He looked at the hairdresser again, "I'm pretty sure Thiane knows a good place around here were we could all have some fun tonight. What do you say?" He threw her a smile that melted her.

"I sure do." She flirted back.

"Li Syaoran!"

He turned around to see who had called him. "Depends on who is asking." he flirtingly answered.

Suri smiled. "I'm so glad you are in a better mood today than the last time I saw you. I have the 300 soccer balls outside for you. I didn't know you cared so much for these things. It's really nice of you."

The guys all looked at her. Confused, Syaoran started to lose his smile and asked, "I'm sorry... 300 soccer balls?"

She nodded. "Sakura said you love to give back to the community and enjoy spending time with children. It's very nice of you to offer your time to visit these kids who enjoy watching you play and to give them a memorable gift as a signed soccer ball. I bet they will really appreciate and love you for it."

Kyu raised a brow and smirked while Eriol chuckled. Syaoran narrowed his eyes, "Where is your boss?"

"Oh, she's going through the checklist with your sister. But where do you want-"

He didn't let her finish as he quickly stood up and set himself to find her. She let him pass by with a smile on her face before turning towards the hairdresser. "Thiane is it?" She asked.

She looked at Suri and nodded.

"It seems to me like you'll have to discard that invitation. By the looks of it, Li will be pretty busy for the rest of his day." She smirked before walking away.

After looking around he finally found her talking to his sister and headed over towards her.

"Sakura!" She heard her name being called and stopped writing notes on her iPad to look at Syaoran who was rapidly walking towards them with a not too happy face on. 'So, he must have heard.' She thought.

"I'm sorry for interrupting Xiefa," he looked at Sakura. "Can I speak with you for a minute?"

"Sure." she turned toward Xiefa, "Don't worry about the lights I'll take care of it."

Xiefa nodded and left. Sakura followed him to the corner and innocently smiled at him, "Is there anything wrong?"

"Is there...?" he annoyingly laughed, "Is there anything wrong? Perhaps you should tell me. Visiting the community with 300 soccer balls?"

"Oh that! I'm so glad you volunteered for it." She said and smirked.

"When did I volunteer for it, Sakura? I don't have time. I need to train."

"Oh, you know it's funny that you mention you need time to train. As a matter of fact I needed some time to think about who could possibly do this community visiting but... guess what happened with my time...? I had to go to the hotel to ask this jerk to sign some agreement papers because he couldn't sign them when my assistant nicely took the papers to him. So..." she shrugged, "I couldn't come up with a better person for this activity than you."

"Is this some sort of joke? It's hilarious really..." he jokingly said running his hands through his hair not believing she could actually think he would do this.

"Oh no, no, no..." she narrowed her eyes. "I'm very serious."

"Syaoran!" They both turned towards his coach who approached them. "I see you're already talking with Ms. Kinomoto here. I spoke to her this morning and she has a great idea to increase fans for the tournament. I volunteered you to help her with this. You don't mind do you?"

He looked at his coach trying to calm himself down, "We have practice this afternoon coach."

"Oh, don't worry about it. I'll tell your teammates you'll be doing this charitable work today. You're excused from practice." He turned to Sakura, "There Ms. Kinomoto, I told you there wouldn't be any problem with him. Let me know if you need more guys later on."

She sweetly smiled at the coach, "Thank you so much coach for understanding. I'm sure the kids will love this." She waited for the coach to retreat before turning towards Syaoran with a triumphant smile on her face. She patted his chest and smiled. "Enjoy!" She whispered to him before walking away.

He furiously watched her leave and narrowed his eyes...'That conniving little...'

~ o ~

The weather was perfect outside. It was cold but the cloudless sky made the sun warm anyone walking through the streets of China. The breeze made it a little hard to stay outside but you would definitely not freeze yourself to death. A laugh could be heard from inside the small café down at the corner where four friends sat conversing and joking around.

"So, I guess she hasn't changed much." Tomoyo said after hearing from her boyfriend what Sakura had just done to Syaoran a couple of hours ago.

Meiling kept laughing at Syaoran's predicament. There was nothing he hated more than to miss time from his training.

"Meiling… it's not funny babe. When we get to practice tomorrow we'll probably have to train harder because your cousin will be in a pissed off mood thanks to Sakura."

"Oh baby, what else can I do?" Meiling replied as she wiped the small tears from her eyes. "He should've known better than to provoke her."

"Well yeah… but still, who knows if we'll be able to hangout tomorrow because of him. Everyone knows when he is in a bad mood practices go on forever. It sucks that we have to pay for Sakura's crazy ideas." Kyu said.

"Well, we all know Syaoran can be a little difficult to deal with sometimes." Tomoyo sighed and smiled. "Oh I haven't been into this place in such a long time it's kind of refreshing. We should probably go sightseeing after your tournament. What do you say Eriol?"

"I think we can do something better. We can all go to auntie's house down in the outskirts. It has a beautiful sight and we'll probably be able to relax for a few days until we start practice again for the World Cup." Eriol smiled at Tomoyo.

"Well, that's not a bad idea. We can even go horse riding. I haven't done that in years." Meiling excitedly said. She could already imagine herself staying at the cabin with her boyfriend and her friends enjoying her small vacations before having to travel again for work purposes. "I can ask auntie if she can let us stay for at least a weekend."

"Leave it to you to want to go horse riding in such a cold weather." Kyu jokingly said.

"Oh baby, but it's really nice to go horse riding even in this weather. Wait till you see where the house is located at, then you'll understand why."

"I'd say the first thing we need to do is get your cousin to go along with it. I'm almost certain instead of wanting vacations he'll most likely make us practice instead. Then you can ask your aunt if we can stay Eriol." Kyu said.

The bell chime that was placed on the door of the small café rang announcing that another customer had just entered. Since Eriol was the one facing the door, he was the one that saw her first.

"Xiefa!" he said.

She looked to see her cousin and smiled. She turned towards the store server and ordered, "Two vanilla lattes to go please." After giving her order she walked towards them. She was dressed very professionally in a knee length black dress. On top of it she covered herself with her salmon colored leather coat that matched the color of her heels. "Well, well, well, fancy finding all of you here."

"Well, not all of us. As it is your brother is doing some good for the community." Kyu mockingly said.

She chuckled and smiled all knowingly. "So, I've heard."

Eriol noticed she wasn't moved by the news and asked, "You knew Sakura would do this?"

She nodded.

"And you let her go through with it?" Eriol asked.

She rolled her eyes at him and dismissed his questions with a wave of her hand. "Oh come on, it's not like he's doing something bad or anything."

"He's your brother Xiefa. You know how much he hates missing practice."

She shrugged Eriol's comment. "Sakura is one of the persons in charge of the Kahi tournament as well as the advertisements for both tournaments. Whatever she wants, she'll get."

"I didn't know you were that close to her." Meiling said.

She smiled at Meiling. "We are friends but other than that, both of these tournaments need to be a success. This is why father has entrusted her with this as well as me."

"Well I can see why she would get him to do this but the way she did it… don't you think it was a little harsh?" Kyu asked her.

Meiling looked at him, "Really? You were the one that was complaining about this whole thing in the first place."

"Well yeah babe, but if what Xiefa is saying is right, then Sakura is only taking advantage of Syaoran's popularity. Right…?"

"Two vanilla lattes to go!" the waiter announced.

Xiefa smiled. "I'll just say this… She knows what she's doing and exactly what needs to be done to get the expected results. I'll see you guys later!" She winked at them before turning to get her order, paying for it, and walking out of the coffee place.

Kyu waited for Xiefa to be out of the restaurant before saying, "You know… I'm not sure if finding Sakura again is a good thing after all."

"Why?" Tomoyo asked.

Kyu shrugged, "It's just a hunch."

Meiling sighed, "Baby, you don't think he'll go back to her after what she did?"

"I don't know Meiling. You didn't see him when we saw her the first time in the hotel."

She looked at him quickly, "Don't you know my cousin Kyu? He may have loved her once but he's too proud to go after someone who left him like she did. I mean… she practically cut us all out of her life when she left. What makes you think that he would go back to her?"

Tomoyo shook her head, "Maybe Kyu is right Meiling. After all, Syaoran never told us what happened that day. The only thing he did say was that everything had been his fault."

Meiling scoffed and proudly said, "Syaoran is a Li. There's no way he would go back to her."

Eriol sighed, "Well, as much as I like spending time like this, we should probably go too. Practice starts in two hours. Don't want to be late." He got up from the table and helped Tomoyo to get up as well by grabbing her hand.

Kyu nodded and got up as well with Meiling. The four of them exited the café and headed towards their respective cars. As Eriol approached his white Porsche with Tomoyo in hand, he saw many photographers taking pictures of them as well as pictures of Meiling getting into Kyu's black Maserati. He shook his head and sighed. 'Don't they ever get tired?' he thought before closing Tomoyo's door and getting on the driver's side. After putting on his shades he drove away.

~ o ~

He had just arrived at the community center where he would be offering the signed soccer balls to the kids thanks to a not-so-lovable person for him after all. 'That little minx!' It wasn't that he didn't like kids or doing charity work to help the community, it was just that he felt awkward around kids. What soccer player of his age knew how to handle this...? If given the choice between playing and doing this he would definitely preferred playing. It was so much easier, so much more natural for him.

He looked at the poor developed soccer field in the community from the limousine's window and sighed. It was full of kids already. Some of them were hand in hand with their parents, others he could see were by themselves, but it was needless to say the place was packed. He wasn't even sure there were enough soccer balls for each of the kids.

He opened his door and got out. Kids screaming could be heard and seen through the fence separating the field from the entrance excitedly at his mere presence and pointing at him. He waved and smiled which only increased their excitement. Anxiety started growing inside of him with every step he took and a little claustrophobia as he got nearer the middle of the field but he was already here. A blond lady smiled at him from the middle of the field. He knew he had seen her somewhere before, only he couldn't put his finger on where. He tried to remember but was cut short when she grabbed the microphone and announced the commencement of the community event.

He had been asked to play a little with the kids, which off course he did. They played one game of about thirty minutes which to his surprised he really enjoyed. Then a couple of pictures were taken of everyone that participated in the match with him in the middle. At the end, he was asked to sit in the middle of the field in front of a rectangle wooden table to sign the balls. The kids made a line and he started signing balls and occasionally took pictures with the kids who asked for pictures with him, which we could resume by saying it was all of them.

"Wow Mr. Li! You're my favorite player in the whole world." he saw a short black haired kid about seven years old say to him. Something about this kid's face caught Syaoran's attention. He remembered when he was younger his eyes used to shine like this kids' whenever he saw a soccer game on TV.

He laughed a little embarrassed, "Thanks! You can call me Syaoran, really." He saw the kid smiled all the way excitedly and felt better. "So uh, what's your name?"

"Kenji. I saw your last goal on Japan, it was awesome!"

"Thanks! How old are you? Do you play?"

Kenji nodded. "I'm seven and I'm going to be the best player in the world, just like you!"

"Alright!" He started signing the ball putting the kids name on it. "Are you coming to the cup?"

He saw the kid's smile reduced itself to a sad smile. "Well, I asked father if we could go but he says the tickets are too expensive. But we'll watch it on TV." The kid smiled again at him.

The kid's honest answer made Syaoran not ask anything else. He finished putting the dedication on the ball and gave it to the kid. "Well, here you go."

"Wow!" he looked at Syaoran again and happily said, "Thank you Mr. Li... I mean Syaoran." The kid turned towards his father excitedly. "Daddy quick the picture!"

The kid pose at his side and his father quickly took a picture with his cell phone. Kenji quickly went to see it and smiled excitedly. "Thank you again Mr. Li!"

Syaoran chuckled. "Anytime. Stay out of trouble!"

The kid waved his goodbye to Syaoran and left with his father. 'Well, this isn't so bad.' He thought as he prepared himself to sign the next one.

One by one he signed all the soccer balls. He had been correct about his first assumption, three hundred soccer balls were not enough so he had ordered for some more to be brought on so each kid could take their signed soccer ball today. It was dark already and he was getting ready to leave when he felt a hand grabbed his arm. He looked around to find the event announcer smiling sweetly at him.

"Don't tell me you don't remember me...?" she said.

He casually smiled, "Should I?"

"Syaoran! The boat, some wine glasses, the walk on the beach?"

"Oh! Katherine! I knew I had seen you before."

She provocatively smiled at him and nodded. "You should have stayed till the morning."

He chuckled. "I usually get up early to workout."

"I'm pretty sure you could have workout just fine even after staying." She moved her hands up and down sensually over his arm while battling her eyes at him. "I woke up very cold that morning thanks to you."

"Well, how about I make it up to you. Dinner some time?" he confidently asked already knowing the answer.

She nodded. "I heard you're not allowed to go anywhere outside of the hotel."

He smirked, "News travel fast."

She raise her brow flirtatiously, "You have no idea. So, is tomorrow good for you?"

"I'll check my calendar and let you know." He smiled before turning around and getting into the black limousine that was waiting for him with his manager inside.

He closed the door and waited for it. "She's very pretty, a bombshell no doubt…" His manager sarcastically said before warning him, "She works in the media Syaoran. Don't be stupid about this."

"It was only one night a long time ago. You don't have to worry about that Choi." He rubbed his eyes. For the first time in years he was really tired yet he felt good about it.

"I worry because I know what people like her would do if you give them the chance of being in your life."

He ignored his manager as he look out the window at the houses in the community, "Speak with Sakura. She probably has a list of all the kids that assisted this event. Ask her if she can get World Cup tickets for them and one family member."

Choi stared dumbfounded at him. "What? You've never done this before."

"Just do it Choi." He said tiredly closing his eyes.

~ o ~

The next morning, she had finally found time early in the morning to be in her office. While she was drinking her hot coffee she was going through some of the quotes to repair the field lighting. She had asked Suri the day before to please call places and ask for quotes in order to take care of everything today.

She heard a knock on her door followed by Syaoran entering her office without her permission and closing the door behind him. 'My eyes must be playing tricks on me.' She thought. He was wearing a long sleeve gray t-shirt, which wasn't too tight but you could still see his muscular defined arms with it, blue jeans and a pair of sneakers.

He smiled at her surprised expression, "I saw your Guinea Pig on TV last night... was surprised to see him alone. Very elegant in his suit and everything, right there next to his father..."

"What are you doing here? Get out."

"This is my building, even if I'm not running it... remember?" he arrogantly said as he walked towards her desk and placed a folder in front of her.

She sighed and took the folder. It was the signed release for the photo shoot. He could've simply left it in the front desk with Suri but instead decided to hand them personally to her. She went through the papers to check everything was done correctly. "This is your father's building, and I didn't know you cared at all."

He smiled at her and started walking around her office curiously. Years had indeed influenced some of her style. She had a very modern taste when it came to her office furniture. A lot of dark brown and white pieces adorned it. Nothing like the Sakura he knew back then who used to love a lot of pink. Her office could be defined as someone who took her work very seriously. 'Well, I guess that hasn't changed.' He thought.

"I would have never imagined you liked politics that much. You must have very entertaining conversations with his friends and all..." he sarcastically said.

She watched him stroll around her office looking around it. First he saw the view she had from her office which was in the 47th floor. Since the windows were all glass, he was able to see most of the city through them. Then he saw her glass desk in shape of an L with a full computer on it and an Ipad docked at the side. And finally he saw a wooden bookshelf at his left side full of books. Some of them he could tell were college books. Others were probably books she had bought on the side to read for research purposes.

"Are you done analyzing my office?"

He smirked at her and picked a frame from the bookshelf. She was standing right next to Jun in an elegant emerald dress that reached all the way to the floor. She was about his same height with heels on. "I guess this office suits you. I mean, you did leave everything behind so you could have a better life. I'm assuming that is why you left." He suddenly looked at her. "I must say, Kate did throw us a very good prom by the way, after you stood her up... I mean."

She rolled her eyes at him and walked towards him to take the picture frame back from him but he put it back before she reached him. "If you must know, I did stay in contact with Kate even after leaving. The only difference was that back then I left her in charge and told her that if she needed my help with anything to just give me a call or email me. She must not have told you anything, but I did help her with most of the activities leading to the prom without needing to be there in person. Did you honestly think I could be that irresponsible?"

He smiled at her. "Off course not. Always work before anything else. I guess that still hasn't changed."

She sighed. "Why are you here?"

"I came to apologize for the photo shoot agreement. I honestly didn't mean to make you lose your time."

She looked at his eyes and raised her eyebrow, "You don't apologize."

"I'm not the same person you knew seven years ago. Even if you don't believe it, people can change over time. More so if you give them seven years to do so..." the last part he said in a low voice as an afterthought.

She was able to clearly catch what he said. She could tell he was being honest, but there was still a part of her that didn't trust him. "I accept your apology and now you will leave. I have a lot of stuff I need to take care of and I have less than ten months to do so."

"There is another reason for my visit." He added before allowing her going back to her desk.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Off course there is. Do you need me to offer you a seat?"

"No, not at all. But I do want to call a truce."

She looked at him questioningly. "A truce?"

He nodded. "I'll stop being a jerk, as you called me earlier."

She narrowed her eyes at him, "What's in it for you?"

He smirked, "I want to at least try to be friends again."

She sighed and rolled her eyes before turning her gaze away from him, "Syaoran-"

"I know what you're thinking, but Sakura even before we started dating years ago we could still talk and have fun like friends do. And right now I'll be in China for almost a year, you're working for my father's company, I don't want us to be awkward because of something that happened between us in the past. I mean, we both have grown up. I'm pretty sure there's no problem in us trying to be friends again."

She thought about it quickly. It wasn't that she wasn't willing to do so, but their relationship in the past had never been a peaceful one. They had their fights along with their fiery romantic reconciliations. She wasn't sure if they could be friends again after all that had transpired between them but right now she didn't have time to think clearly about his proposal. "Fine."

"I mean it Sakura."

"I know and I said it was fine. We can try but it will be later. For now, I have a lot of work so... the door is right over there." She pointed at the door.

"I will call you later. The others will probably want to see you as well." He said walking towards the door.

"You don't have my phone number."

He smirked. "You forget my sister is Xiefa." he said all knowingly before opening the door to leave.

"Syaoran!" she called before he got out. She waited for him to turn around and look at her. "His name is Jun, not Guinea Pig."

He smirked and mockingly chuckled. "Off course, how could I forget...? I'll see you around." and with that he closed the door after leaving. She sighed and went back to her desk to finish what she was doing before he showed up.

~ o ~

Instead of practicing only in the afternoon just like they always did, they had practice at eleven in the morning and then continued to their afternoon practice at four. Syaoran had asked the coach to have double practice today since he thought they needed all the practice they could get before the tournament. None of the players were surprised by this considering he had missed yesterday's practice. So after doing their routinely warm up, they started doing the play sequences. The team was divided into four groups. Two of the groups were scrimmaging in one half of the field where Syaoran was placed, while the other group was with Mark on the other side.

He was jogging on the right side of the field while watching the rest of his teammates perform the play from the left. He noticed Kyu, who was playing for his team, was open on the left side to receive the ball and score. Eriol, who was playing against him, was on his right side watching him from getting an opening to score. Xiun received the ball from the left side line and kicked it quickly to the middle where another one of his teammates was waiting for it.

"Stop!" Everyone looked at Syaoran. "Xiun what are you doing? You need to bring the ball inside. Otherwise, the rest of your teammates will have too many guys to be able to make a goal. Your job is to take their defense with you when you come in so that the rest of your team can have a better possibility at scoring. Did you even see Kyu was open in the first place? Kicking the ball straight to the middle is not very smart considering their best defense is there. Find your opponent's weakness and execute. Let's go again." He said.

If looks could kill, Syaoran would be dead by now after the look Xiun gave him before turning around and muttering to himself. "Damn stupid jerk! I'll show him smart…"

Eriol chuckled and looked at Syaoran who was in front of him. "Syaoran, give the poor guy a break."

"He needs to learn Eriol. A mistake like that could cost us the game." He waited for the ball to reach Gee who was in the sideline. Gee took the ball and again passed it to Xiun.

On the sidelines, their coach was watching the whole practice with his hands crossed on his chest and a smile on his face. The assistant coach was at his side writing down some notes on a notepad.

"Are you ever going to talk to Li about his attitude? Some of the guys are complaining about it."

The coach smirked as he watched Xiun receive the ball and ran towards the middle with it. He combined speed with a couple of fake passes to take most of the other team's defense with him leaving Syaoran open on the right side. Instead of passing the ball to Kyu, like Syaoran had suggested, he passed the ball to Syaoran who in turned scored the goal.

"Do you still think I should talk to Li about his attitude?" he chuckled and shook his head while his assistant sighed and shook his head as well. "I thought so."

~ o ~

She had received the pictures from Joe last night just like he had told her she would. He gave her two manila envelopes full of pictures, one for each team. Since she had been too busy to see them last night, she had decided to take them tonight to her apartment where she could peacefully look through them. She poured herself a glass of red wine and started watching the pictures. This was her typical Friday night these days unless her boyfriend was around.

After a couple of minutes she was able to decide which ones she wanted from the Italian team. She set the ones she chose on the side of her glass coffee table and opened the other envelope. She started discarding the ones she immediately knew she didn't wanted and put them back on the envelope. The ones she wanted she started setting them on the coffee table just like she had done for the Italian team.

When she reached China, she picked the picture with Kyu, Eriol, Syaoran, and their coach first. Then she chose the individual pictures for Mark, Kyu, and Eriol without much difficulty. But, when she got to see Syaoran's individual pictures she got stuck. She had to admit she liked almost all of them. He looked good kicking the ball, he looked good doing the serious pose, and he looked good with the ball and smiling. He just looked good in all of them. She kept going through them until she saw the last one. Her heart skipped a beat. Good didn't do justice on this one. He simply looked too hot in it. He was standing with the ball on his hands and flashing his famous smirk. It still troubled her how she still found that smirk so sexy on him. She suddenly remembered when she took the agreement papers to him. He had that same smirk on his face as he reclined himself on the hotel's door frame and although she faked her indifference to him, she couldn't deny she still felt something that night.

She placed the pictures on the coffee table as she rubbed her fingers through her eyes and took another sip of her wine. She needed a break. This was troublesome indeed. She knew she needed to keep a clear head to choose these pictures correctly. Her phone suddenly rang signaling she had just received a text.

*Brunch tomorrow?

She looked at it and re-read it several times before remembering what Syaoran had told her in the morning. 'So Xiefa gave him my phone number after all… That little traitor!' she thought narrowing her eyes. She planned on just ignoring him but then decided against it knowing that if she didn't answer his text he was capable of appearing on her office again tomorrow morning to pick her up.

*Where?

*Asashi's at nine? The girls love that place.

*Okay!

*See you there. Good Night!

She looked at the message but didn't answer back. She wasn't even sure she should have agreed to the whole friend thing in the first place. 'It's only brunch.' She thought. And the girls would be there, right? I mean… what was wrong with that? It wasn't like she was doing something inappropriate or anything. She was just going to spend time with her friends from high school again. She finished her glass of wine and nodded to herself. 'This is only a friendly brunch, nothing else.' She thought before taking the glass to the sink and turning in for the night.

**Author's Note: **Well, chapter 3 is done. Once again, thank you all of you who reviewed my first and second chapters. It really helps to know how you guys feel about this story. I hope you guys like the third chapter and please read and review so I know what you guys think about this one.


	4. Chapter 4 - Where there was fire

**Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Card Captor Sakura. I sadly just own the plot although if the owner wishes to give me Syaoran as a gift I would take him in a heartbeat.**

"_**Fall in love with someone who wants you, who waits for you, who understands you even in the madness; someone who helps you, and guides you, someone who is your support, your hope. Fall in love with someone who talks with you after a fight. Fall in love with someone who misses you and wants to be with you. Do not fall in love only with a body or with a face; or with the idea of being in love." - Unknown**_

**Chapter 4  
Where there was fire, ashes remain**

A small wooden porch like restaurant could be seen from the distance where she parked her car. Big letters on a sign read 'Asashi Restaurant' in front of it. 'I can't believe he picked a place forty five minutes away.' As she had agreed to, she was at the restaurant at nine. She walked in through the doors and loved the interior design right away. Rustic wooden tables of different shapes were placed around the restaurant. The roof was adorned with hanging red and white Chinese lamps and the red and brown jars around the corners gave the feeling of calmness once you walked inside. She knew this wasn't your normal luxurious restaurant but more like a family oriented place to hang out and eat.

At the sound of the door, he looked towards it to find Sakura dressed in a knee length pencil style black skirt that reached all the way to her middle section with an emerald green silky blouse, a white coat covering her from the cold that reached all the way to her knee, and black pumps. He smiled at her. "Hey, you're on time!"

She noticed that, out of pure coincidence, Syaoran was the only one there to greet her on time. Contrary to her modern style attire, he was dressed in a very sporty casual way wearing a long black sleeve shirt with jeans on and a red baseball cap which was hard to miss. She was about to say something when the waiter came in, "Your table is ready sir."

Syaoran nodded. He had already asked for their table when he came in. "Come on."

She nodded and followed him. The waiter took them all the way through the inside of the restaurant till he opened a door on the back. The small space had a balcony look with two wooden tables to seat six people on the right side and four tables to seat couples throughout the middle which could also be used to seat four people if the tables were joined together. The glass walls protected them from the outside cold air while still giving the place a cute traditional balcony look.

The waiter sat them on the farthest table from the door far on the corner which was a little separated from the rest of the tables and where they could appreciate the mountain scenery through the glass. They took a seat as they waited on the rest of their friends to arrive.

"May I bring you something to drink?" the waiter offered.

"Two mimosas okay with you?" he asked her. After she nodded, the waiter left with their orders. "You could've brought Tails with you, if you wanted..." he said while taking the chair in front of her.

Even though he was trying to hide it, she heard the amusement in his words. She kept her cool collected calm face on before answering, "I've heard you've become quite the player these past couple of years."

"I've been playing for a while, in case you haven't noticed. Will be the best after this summer…"

She rolled her eyes at him, "I meant with women."

He smirked, "Well, to find someone that's honest it's a little hard for me."

She acted all surprised and asked, "Are you even looking for that?"

"I may be staring at her right now."

She kept her stare at him and scoffed. "I can't believe after getting your freedom you'd want something serious all of the sudden."

"You should try it some time. The freedom part I mean…"

"I never saw a relationship as a jail to begin with." She took a deep breath before trying to change the subject. "So, what's good here?" she said while taking a glance at the menu. She couldn't deny that his words made her feel a little uneasy but she was determined not to show him any sign that would indicate so.

He stared at her and smiled before looking at the menu as well. "I've heard their French toast on brioche bread are the best." He said. Since he met her, he knew this was one of her favorite breakfast dishes back then. He hoped she still loved them like she used to.

"Sounds good. I think I may be having that." She put the menu down and tried to control her nerves. When she looked up, she saw him going through the menu. She took the opportunity to observe him while he was browsing it hoping he wouldn't notice. He still moved his brow whenever he read something he didn't like on the menu. It had always amazed her how he could be so decisive about certain things but the simplest ones he always had trouble deciding. It had been so long ago and yet she felt as if nothing had changed. But something had changed that dreadful night. The burning in her heart was a constant reminder of it. "Did you by any chance tell them to be here at nine?"

"Yeah." He carelessly said still looking at the menu.

She stared at him not believing him for one minute. It almost made her smile to see that he still couldn't look at her whenever he lied. "Oh, before I forget." She took out of her purse an envelope. "I need to know which pictures you like best."

He looked at her curiously, "Aren't you the expert on this?"

"Yes, but I want to know your opinion on them."

He put the menu down and reached to take the envelope with a smirk on his face, "What? Did you like all of them?"

She rolled her eyes at him, "Just pick five."

He smiled at her while looking at some of the pictures. "So, how did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Get into Li Corporation? If I remember correctly, to be in this company you need at least a Bachelor's Degree and you actually left in the middle of high school." He said as he chose the five pictures he liked the best and gave them to her.

She smiled, "Your mother took care of everything. I only had to study and send my exams."

The mention of his mother's involvement caught his attention, "And you trusted her?"

"I'm here aren't I?" She confidently said.

He stared at her, "My mother doesn't usually do things out of charity…"

"Well, well, well… If it isn't runaway Sakura."

She looked to her right at the body behind the intruding voice and smiled. "Meiling, long time no see."

They had all arrived together. She watched as Meiling sat down to her right with Kyu on her side, and Eriol and Tomoyo sat on her left. "That was some drastic getaway by the way…"

"Meiling…"

Sakura noticed Kyu's warning voice before answering, "I'm not going to apologize for leaving because sooner or later I would've left anyways. But I will apologize for not staying in contact with any of you. I've missed you all."

"Some more than others, right?" Meiling jokingly asked.

Sakura chuckled and smirked, "You haven't changed at all have you?" The rest of them laughed. She knew this whole meeting would feel awkward at first but it was something she needed to break the ice. It was true that she had missed them over the years. Sometimes, when she was in her apartment alone, she let her mind wander through the past and laugh remembering some of the pranks they used to pull on each other when they were younger.

"And what do you mean you were leaving anyways?" Meiling asked.

"Well, I wanted to study project management and the best university for that is here in China."

"I thought you wanted to study closer to home?" Kyu asked.

She shook her head and sadly smiled. Home, that word felt so distant to her. Perhaps because she had tried to erase so many memories from the time she had spent there. She sighed and tried to change the subject, "I'm surprised none of you are married by now."

Tomoyo smiled sweetly at Eriol before saying, "Well, Eriol and I got engaged last year."

Sakura curiously looked at Tomoyo, "I'm sure if someone like Eriol would have gotten engaged it would be all over the news. I don't recall hearing or reading anything on your engagement."

Eriol smiled, "We decided to keep it a secret for now. Only our families and closest friends know about it. We're planning to do it after the cup."

Sakura nodded and then looked towards Kyu and Meiling.

"Don't look at us. We haven't fight about it yet." Meiling carelessly said.

She chuckled while the rest of them laughed. Since the moment they had started dating back in high school Sakura couldn't remember them staying two straight months together without fighting.

"What about you? How long have you been dating Senator Eli's son?" Eriol asked.

"Jun and I have been dating for almost two years now."

"Is he as good as his father on politics?" Syaoran asked. He had been observing her since their friends arrived without getting too much into the conversation.

She caught the hidden message on Syaoran's question. She remembered a conversation they had in the past where he tried to convince her that all politicians were liars. "He's different than many of today's politicians."

"Oh! So are we hearing wedding bells for you two as well?" Tomoyo excitedly asked no doubt already imagining a way to have a double wedding next year.

Sakura, uncomfortable with the question, turn her head from Tomoyo. She could feel Syaoran's prying eyes waiting for her answer. She saw the waiter coming in with the mimosas. 'Oh! Just in time' she thought before saying, "We have talked about it but haven't decided on anything yet." She received her mimosa and quickly took a sip while the rest of them started to give the waiter their orders.

~o~

Suri spotted Xiefa down the corridor. By the looks of it she was heading towards her father's office.

"Xiefa!"

Xiefa stopped mid way and waited for Suri to reach her. "Talk with me as you walk. My father's waiting."

Suri nodded and started walking along with Xiefa. "I need to ask a favor of you?"

"Why do I get the feeling this somehow has to do with my brother..." She said in a low voice.

"It does, but not in any way you can possibly imagine."

Xiefa grunted. She could read Suri's infatuation with her brother all over her face. She didn't understand why every woman that Syaoran made contact with could easily fall for him. Even when he didn't treat them right they would fall for him. I mean, who could possibly accept that? "You should speak to his manager if this concerns him."

"Well you see I did try to reach his manager and left him messages but he still hasn't answered me back and the tournament is this weekend."

"Doesn't that give you a clue?" she bitchily replied.

"It does but even this clue will not be excuse enough for Sakura. Please, please I need your help."

Xiefa reached her father's office and sighed. She turned towards Suri and asked, "What is this favor you need?"

"Some of your father's business partners attending this event want to spend a little time around him with their families. You know, like a VIP exclusive section with him. Do you think you can talk to him about it?"

Xiefa smirked. "How about I give you his phone number and you call him and ask?"

Suri could feel her heart rate rapidly increasing at the thought of getting Li's personal phone number. She knew not every girl had that luck. Her thoughts made her smile before looking at Xiefa, "I could definitely call him and ask him personally if he can do this. I know this will also please your father as well."

Xiefa looked at Suri's naive face and scoffed, "Suri… for your own good stop daydreaming about my brother. He's not the type to stay with one girl and if he were ever to change his mind I have a slight feeling he already knows who he wants."

Suri smiled slowly faded, "Is he dating anyone?"

Xiefa rolled her eyes and shook her head while simply opening the door to her father's office and closing it after getting inside. She had definitely gotten her mother's genes when it came to having patience and dealing with people.

She watched her father standing in front of his huge window enjoying the look from his office with his hands behind his back. He didn't turn to greet her but instead asked, "Where's Sakura? Usually she's here before any of us."

Xiefa sat down in one of the leather chairs in front of his desk and crossed her legs. "She took the morning off." She thought not to indulge too much on Sakura's whereabouts despite her curiosity of wanting to know how her father would react to the news that her brother had invited Sakura to a brunch. She stared at his calmed body lacking any reaction towards her answer while watching the busy streets of China. Thirty years she had lived with her father and there had never been a moment where she could've guessed what he was thinking.

He silently smiled and smirked at his daughter's answer. She still had much to learn about hiding things from him but it always made him feel proud to know she would still try to. "I'm planning on proposing an agreement to Steven about investing in the tournament."

She raised her brow as she analyzed her father's words. "He is our biggest competition in the market right now father. Do you think this is wise?"

"I'm not talking about a permanent agreement."

"But still, we won the bid for the tournament. We should keep it within our company alone."

He turned to look at his daughter with a smile on his face. "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, Xiefa. Although in this case he is not my enemy he is indeed our biggest competition in the market as we both know. I won't let this tournament be a distraction to let him invest in other proposals we don't have access to because we are too busy dealing with the tournament. The best way right now to keep him at bay is to make him as busy as we are."

Xiefa nodded. "Do you want me to talk to him?"

Xian shook his head. "I'll give this one to Sakura once she comes back."

"Mother won't be pleased about this. She wanted this tournament to be ours only. She worked really hard for it too."

He smiled at her, "Leave your mother to me."

She sighed but nodded nonetheless.

~o~

Meiling sighed after coming down from laughing so hard, "Feels good to spend time this way. Just like old times…"

Sakura heard Meiling's comment and nodded. They had just finished brunch and were getting ready to leave. After standing up she put on her coat. She heard her phone's ringtone signaling a text message had just arrived. She searched her bag for almost a minute before finally finding it. She unlocked her phone by sliding her finger through it which took her instantly to the message.

*The flower arrangement that you wanted just arrived. Also, Joe called wondering if you've already made up your decision on the pictures. And last, Mr. Li wants you to meet a client of his. He said to tell you to meet him at Cali Sports Bar at 1:00pm

She looked at her watch and sighed. It was almost 12:45pm and one of the things she hated the most was going to a restaurant after eating. Brunch had been delicious. She could clearly see why Syaoran had chosen this place even if it was far from the city. The place was definitely one she would write a note-to-self to come visit again. But after reading the text, going to another restaurant while still feeling full was not something she would rather do. 'At least it's a sports bar.' She thought before walking out of the restaurant with her friends. "Well, I have to go."

"Aw! So soon?" Kyu whined.

She smiled and nodded. "I have to meet some clients now. This was nice. We should do this again some other time."

"We definitely should." Tomoyo said.

"I can go with you if you want…?" Syaoran offered.

She scoffed, "Since when are you concern with the family business?"

He smirked, "I've always wanted to know how it's doing. I just do it quietly on my own terms."

"If you are that concern on how it's doing go to the office and ask for the financial statements. Right now, I need to go."

"You know, isn't it better to watch how the employees develop themselves in their areas than watching and analyzing numbers? I think it's better if I go with you and find for myself how my father's business works. Who knows… Maybe I'll finally get interested in this whole family business like he has always wanted me to." He tried to convince her. They hadn't had too much time in the restaurant to talk as their friends came a little earlier than he had anticipated.

"No you will not!" she stared at him to let him know she was being very serious about this. She took a deep breath and looked at one of the corners. She had been right all along, "I'm not sure if anyone has told you this but that stupid baseball cap doesn't work for you."

The guys chuckled at her comment while this time it was Syaoran the one that scoffed. "What does the cap has to do with me going with you?"

"There are more than 50 reporters right now around these corners taking hundreds of pictures from you talking to me right now. Neither of us needs the trouble." She saw her phone rang and picked up. "I'm on my way." She said before she turned around and walked towards her car leaving them on the sidewalk.

Syaoran watched her walked away and narrowed his eyes as she got in her silver sport Audi and drove off to wherever she was going. Eriol put an arm around his shoulders, "Well… Guess I'm not the only one who thinks putting on this cap is stupid."

"Shut it Eriol!" He said shoving his arm off him.

~o~

It wasn't the place he had chosen when she was told he wanted her to be at lunch for this meeting what surprised her, it was the fact that the meeting was with none other than Steven Makimasi, president of Makimasi Industries. She had heard rumors of his character during some of the seminars she had attended to throughout the year and none of them were good. Some said he was arrogant, others that he was spoiled but to Sakura the one word that defined his character was tyrant. The look this man gave her when she arrived was something that instinctively had bells ringing through her head.

"Ah, Ms. Kinomoto is here." He said while laughing.

Xian turned towards her from their booth and stood up. "Sakura, come on in."

She nodded and took a seat next to him.

"I was speaking to Makimasi here about your last project. He's fascinated by the outcome of it."

Mr. Makimasi smiled at her and nodded, "I've never seen someone invest in a project and have it producing positive outcomes that fast. It is indeed a work to be praised."

She politely replied, "Thank you." She was sure there had to be more to this meeting than her past projects. Xian would never meet this guy if he didn't want something out from him. So she patiently waited until the real reason why she was here would show up in the conversation. She asked the waiter for some water and sat listening to them dancing around words.

Finally when Xian finished eating he said, "On to business. I want you to work with us on the tournament. What do you think Makimasi?"

Sakura quickly looked at Xian but didn't say a word.

Makimasi smiled and looked at Sakura, "I've been told you're the one in charge of the tournament."

She calmly looked at him. "You speak of the tournament as if it is the whole thing I'm in charge of."

"After what it's been said of you around business people you don't need to be in charge of everything to produce a good outcome. Some call it a special gift you have."

She kept staring at him. There was nothing from this man that inspired trust for her. And yet, if Xian wanted this then there was nothing else she could do. "I'm only in charge of the advertising."

Xian chuckled, "I have Sakura and Xiefa working on it so as you can see there is nothing you should feel worried about. I know that here in China we are competitors yet this tournament is a worldwide event. We could work in unity to have viewers and fans enjoy one of the best tournaments in history. I believe you can be part of this history we are making this year. What do you think?"

Makimasi looked at Xian and smiled, "I'll have to think about it Li. We both know decisions made in a hurry could cost us dearly."

Xian wiped his lips with the black apron after finishing his last bite. "I'll give you some time to think about it then. But I will need your answer soon."

Makimasi nodded. "Well, I have to go now. Much to do today." He stood up and was about to get his wallet out of his pocket when Xian stopped him.

"It's on me." Xian said.

Makimasi nodded and turned towards Sakura. He once again smiled, "It was a great pleasure meeting you today Ms. Kinomoto."

She nodded but didn't say more. She waited until Makimasi was out of the restaurant before turning towards Xian. "Since when do we need his help to make this tournament a successful one?"

"I want you to keep an eye on him. There are rumors around he wants to invest in a big project that could put us on edge if the project passes."

"And getting him into the tournament would make a difference?"

"Let me worry about the company's decisions."

"I don't trust that guy Xian."

"Neither do I. This is why I need you to keep an eye on him. Make sure he signs an agreement of investing in the tournament."

She sighed but agreed to anyways.

~ o ~

The weekend came quickly. For it been the beginning of March the weather was irregularly colder than normal but the tournament was already on the way. Four years ago they had lost the World Cup tournament in the semifinals. As a team, they had been preparing since that moment for this years' tournament and part of that preparation was this scrimmage with Italy.

"They say the field is packed." Xiun excitedly said.

"Let's take this as practice guys. The World Cup will feel a lot much better than today." Mark said focused on the game they were about to play.

"It does feel different doesn't it? To play at home..." Eriol said looking at Syaoran who was behind him waiting in line to go out to the field.

He nodded. "Let's do this." He said before starting to walk towards the field behind his teammates.

He took a deep breath and walked outside and into the field. Adrenaline rush was all he felt as he took his first steps inside the grassy grounds. The excitement of the moment was one of the things he loved about this sport. He focused on the field and tuned out the crowd even when they went wild and yelled louder after seeing him coming out of the locker room.

A little far from the field a red headed woman walked through the VIP room. She walked towards their sits and asked with a notebook on hand ready to take in their bets, "What will your bid be sir?"

"I'm going for a million dollars for each goal my son makes and half a million dollars if any other team player makes the goal." The way he spoke about his son showed pride in his words. He was a mirror image of Syaoran but older. He had to admit at first he didn't even thought his son would do that good in this sport, yet another battle he lost against his wife. He had seen Syaoran's games year after year with his wife, or let's clear that up she made him watch the games with her. The more he watched the more he learned and even came up to fell in love with the game as well.

"Well, it is charming the way you have brought all of this together Li." A man with a white mustache spoke. His expensive watch and professional athletic attire left no doubt he was one of the richest men watching this match. Add to this the fact that he was sitting right next to Li, Xian, the richest man present in the VIP cabin and you get a very important guest for the tournament.

"Sir and for you?" she smiled at the old man.

"I'll give half a million per goal we make." He replied.

Xian laughed. "It is, isn't it Fabrizzio? Ms. Kinomoto was in charge of this one."

Mr. Fabrizzio was one of the Italian team biggest sponsors. "Ah yes! No wonder such precise details in it. I still wonder how you got so lucky Li. And to think she has been under your wing for only five years."

Xian chuckled, "It is what it is John. Have you thought about my suggestion on including Steven on this World Cup event?"

"I have! And yet I don't think he will go along with it. You know Steven, his pride is larger than his monetary account if that's even possible."

"I'll only be giving him a chance of joining us in this worldwide event."

"I think that if you get him to come along, it will definitely be an event worth remembering."

Sakura tried to stay focused on the conversation yet the game was putting her nerves out of control. Every time they had the ball and the other team would steal it away she had to control her anger. She needed to remember she was sitting in the same line as the president of Li Corporation and that required for her behavior to be almost perfect if that could be possible.

She watched as Eriol passed the ball all the way from the right side to the left side. She held her breath in excitement as Kyu received his pass and kicked the ball to the net but the goalie stopped it. She released her breath again. The game was tied down 0-0 and even if it was an exhibition game to raise funds it still held the same excitement official games did.

"What time does Jun gets in?" Xiefa asked. She was sitting down in between her father and Sakura enjoying the game but more interested in looking around at people's behavior towards the game. If there was one thing Xiefa was perfectly good at was reading people. She wanted to use this game as a means to observe even the smallest detail and analyze what could be done better for the World Cup.

"He comes tonight. Why?"

"Mother wants you to come for dinner tomorrow night."

Sakura knew Yelan very well. What Syaoran told her a few days ago still rested in her mind as she was very aware that Yelan never did things without getting something in return from it. "Did she give you a reason as to why?"

Xiefa shrugged, "She just wants you to come."

She looked at Xiefa and raised her eyebrow, "Should the right question be is your brother going to be there then?"

Xiefa smiled. "Look, Feimei and Fanren came for the week. They will stay till after the tournament finishes or I think two weeks after but that's not the point. It's very rare to have the entire family in town. Even father is getting out early to have dinner too, which almost never happens. And you know my parents consider you almost another daughter. I mean, mother just wants to have a family dinner. Do you think you can make time?"

Sakura sighed and turned her head to watch the game again, "Why is it so hard to believe you?"

Xiefa chuckled, "I don't know if he'll come but I'm almost certain he wouldn't miss it if he is told you will attend."

She scoffed, "So you'll use me to get him to come to dinner?"

Xiefa mockingly looked at her as if she had just been offended, "I would never use you. I'm just saying the whole family dinner would be better accomplished as mother wants it to happen if you agree on coming."

"You just used pretty words to indirectly say you're using me but that's okay. I'll go. But let it be known that I will only go because of your mother."

Xiefa smirked, "Sure, whatever you say. Oh, by the way, we might go out clubbing tomorrow night. When I spoke to Eriol he said it was Mark's birthday so if you guys want you can stay the night at the house."

She nodded, "I'll mention it to Jun. He might want to go out to the club for a couple of hours. If we come back late from it then we'll probably end up staying. If not, then we can just go to my apartment later. I'm sure he won't have any trouble with any of the choices but I'll ask him anyways."

The game went to half time with the score still tied down to 0. Sakura sighed, "Will Feimei be bringing her boyfriend to dinner?" she asked smirking already knowing the answer. A couple of months back she had introduced him to the family on her visit during college fall break. Sakura had the pleasure, or the displeasure, of meeting him then. She was only a couple of years younger than Syaoran which only made him be a little over protective when it came to her.

Xiefa chuckled, "If she loves him as much as she says she does then I think she shouldn't. Syaoran would kill him in an instant."

Sakura chuckled, "She better tell him before it gets too late although I have to say dinner would be a lot more interesting if she did bring him over."

"Come now Sakura, we both know what the outcome of dinner will be if she does. Mother wants a peaceful dinner, not a dramatic one."

They watched as the crowd went wild again letting them know that the players were taking up their positions to start the second half. She watched as Xiun passed the ball to Mark to commence the game. Eriol ran from the right corner to receive the ball from Mark. He tried to get into the middle but the Italian player took the ball from him. Syaoran made a dive in front of him and the ball went back to Eriol.

"You look nervous." Xiefa smirked.

"Shut up!" Sakura quickly said still having her eyes glued to the game.

Xiefa chuckled. They watched as Kyu received the ball and drove near to the score line. Two Italians were up against him when he got a little closer but instead of kicking the ball into the net he passed it down to Syaoran who was a little bit farther but only had one guy guarding him. He ran to his right with the ball and increased his speed until the other guy fell behind. He looked at the net and kicked the ball.

Goooooaaaaaalllllll! The crowd went wild again. Sakura got up from her seat and celebrated the goal after watching Xian getting up from his seat. He was proudly celebrating and applauding his son's goal while some of his business partners congratulate him.

The match had ended with a 3-1 win for China, two of the goals scored by Syaoran while the last one was done by Kyu. The guys had stayed in the field signing autographs for the people who had come and watch the match. She watched as a reporter was doing an interview with Kyu in the corner of the field while Eriol was taking a picture with some of the kids who came to watch the game. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Suri walking towards her.

"Sakura!"

She looked at her assistant and waited for her to reach where she was standing.

Suri smiled, "I'm glad to write another success for us. The tournament has done splendidly. Here are the reports on what's been already accounted for. We still haven't finished with the miscellaneous merchandise booth but the photo booth and the electronics booth did great. Also, the money from the sale of food is almost finished."

She nodded. "How much have we collected net after all adjustments?"

"Well, we still need the rest of the numbers but I can say we have been able to collect almost 78% of our projection goal for this event with the numbers we already have in. Once the rest of the numbers-"

She looked towards the field and was taken aback by the sight before her. Syaoran was playing with some of the kids that had been participants of the community event she had set up for him a week ago. She could tell they were the same kids as she had seen the picture of the event a couple of days later.

"But, like I said, once the rest of the numbers are in we can get a clear-"

Something tugged at her heart. Suddenly she wasn't hearing Suri anymore but was more mesmerized by the image of Syaoran playing soccer with some of the kids. She watched as one of them tried to grab his shirt to hold him and steal the ball while he laughed. In all her years knowing him she had never seen him playing with kids so carelessly. She could feel a smile slowly creeping into her face when she saw him grab the kid by his waist and run with him and the ball at the same time into the direction of the goal net.

"So I should think the numbers will be in by tonight. Do you want me to send them to your email or just update your iCloud spreadsheet?" Suri looked up and noticed she wasn't paying attention anymore. She followed the direction Sakura's eyes were directed at and scoffed. "Don't take this the wrong way but he's not a one woman kind of man."

She looked at Suri but didn't say anything towards her comment.

"And what is he doing there? I told him he needed to greet the VIP guests. President Li will be furious if he doesn't." Suri said before walking towards him.

"Ms. Kinomoto!"

She looked towards the left from where the voice had come from and smile. "Coach! Congratulations on your win!"

He chuckled and smiled. "Oh thanks, though I'm not sure if I should be congratulating you instead."

She waited for him to continue. "This whole exhibition match was your idea." He nodded his face to signal the field towards where Syaoran was playing with the kids. "I'm sure they will appreciate the help you will be able to give them with the money that was raised from this match."

She watched as Syaoran suddenly looked at them with a smile on his face. "They sure will." She said before turning her face towards the coach and smile. She waited for the coach to leave and looked back at the field. She had to admit her thoughts were suddenly taking a dangerous turn. She started desiring something she hadn't thought about for a long time.

"You know... If you still feel something for my brother you should break up with that idiot you call boyfriend."

She sighed tiredly before turning around and walking towards the entrance where the merchandise was being sold. "It didn't work seven years ago, I'm sure it won't work now either."

"At least this time you're not denying it, you know." Xiefa smirked.

She rolled her eyes, "Whatever Xiefa." She said before walking away.

~ o ~

She was eating dinner with Jun on her apartment like each night he was in China yet something felt different. There was something that had been plaguing her mind since the tournament and she didn't even know how to get it off her mind. That image of Syaoran with the kids had left her thinking there was something missing in her life yet she didn't know what.

"What's wrong with you? You've been quiet all dinner." Jun said as he took some of his wine.

"Do you want kids?" She blurted out of the blue.

He was surprised by her question but nevertheless answered it, "What do you mean? Like right now?"

She shook her head nervously, "Not right now. But in the future, have you thought of having kids?"

"I wasn't aware that you have thought this far away Sakura."

"Is not something you have to answer now if you haven't thought about it."

"I have thought about it, along with many other things. I just didn't want to pressure you about any of them."

She looked questionably at him, "Really?"

"I have thought about having three kids, if that's okay with you."

Suddenly she felt weird like she lacked air by the mere thought of this conversation, "Maybe we're not ready to have this talk yet."

"No, let's talk about this."

"Jun-" she ran her hands through her hair, something she did every time she would get nervous about something, not wanting to indulge in this conversation any longer.

He smiled at her. "Sakura, we're only talking. I don't want to do anything we're not ready for but really baby there's nothing wrong with talking about it."

She gave in, "I don't want three kids."

"Okay, then how many do you want?"

"One… Maybe two."

"Then we can have two, after we get married off course."

She drank a little more wine before saying, "I'm not ready to get married."

He chuckled. "I know."

She closed her eyes apologetically, "I'm sorry."

He grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "Baby, we'll have time when you're ready to decide. For now, I enjoy spending time with you just as we are."

She smiled at him, "I do to."

~ o ~

The next morning she did her routine as usual. She woke up at 4:00 in the morning and prepared to have her long jog. After last night's conversation with Jun, she was eagerly looking forward to. She usually went running to clear her head. It helped her be more awake and aware with her office duties.

She placed her phone into her arm band which was tied on top of her sweatshirt. Tying her running shoes and taking her apartment key on hand, she stood out and welcomed the coolness of the weather as she locked the door and started her jog.

The Kahi match had been a success. Suri had texted the final numbers and they had been able to collect more than they had thought they would. Her team had done a marvelous job at getting everything on time and working hard to achieve the goal. That was something she would definitely praise when getting into her office this morning. And yet, her mind would still go over that moment where she found him laughing with the little kids. 'Stop Sakura! Focus on the jog, let's clear our head.' She thought before continuing.

After her long jog, which by the way didn't help achieve its objective, she prepared herself quickly and went to her office. As she walked inside the building, many of her colleagues from other departments congratulate her for her achievement with the match. She proudly smiled and nodded her thanks as she got into the elevator and pressed her floor number. After a couple of minutes, the elevator rang signaling she had arrived at her destination. As soon as she got out, she froze.

She saw Syaoran in the office laughing and flirting with one of the secretaries. He was dressed up in a lime green business shirt with a royal blue tie and business shoes. There was no doubt he hardly ever used that type of clothing in his life. It wasn't that he looked bad but let's be honest he looked weird from her perspective.

He saw her standing in front of the elevator and smirked as she approached him with a face that only he knew well enough… She was annoyed.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Don't over excite yourself for seeing me here sweetheart, I'm meeting my father."

She scoffed as she crossed her hands on her chest and clearly stated, "You're father's office is not on this floor. I'm sure you know that. And, I can assure you there's nothing to be excited for."

"You think so?" he arrogantly asked.

She looked at him from head to toe before calmly coming back to his eyes and smirking, "That tie doesn't go with that shirt."

He looked at his tie and smiled back to her, "I bet I can prove you wrong. If you look around you'll find hundreds of girls looking at me with that dreaming haze they usually have when they look at me."

She scoffed, "Could you be a little bit more obnoxious?"

He turned towards the secretary who he had been openly flirting with before seeing Sakura and smiled, "Does this tie truly look bad on me?"

The secretary with a dreamy face on shook her head and batted her eyelashes at him, "Never."

Sakura tiredly took a deep breath, "Your father's office is three floors up. I wasn't aware Xian was doing any personal visits from his family in the office."

"This is not a personal visit. I have a business meeting with him."

She frowned, "Business meeting? You don't do business. You're a soccer player. Your agent does the business meetings for you."

He proudly smiled, "Not in this case. This time I'm the one who will be doing the business." He looked at his watch and looked at her again. "Now, you'll have to excuse me but I need to leave before I'm late to my first business meeting."

She watched him arrogantly walked towards the elevator. She could see through his façade as she knew too well how he hated to talk business with his father. As he stood waiting for the elevator she saw him blanked for a minute. She wondered why he was nervous about this meeting but instead of asking she called him out. "Syaoran!" He turned his face towards her as she mimicked with her hands and said, "Lose the tie."

As the doors opened he smiled at her before getting in. He watched as the doors closed and took a deep breath. He was nervous. Having a meeting with a business tycoon was definitely one of the top things in his Hate-To-Do list… more so if it was a meeting with his father. There was always something very intimidating about speaking with his father about business. He was just too good doing it. Convincing him would take a lot of effort but he was going to do it. He had looked himself in the mirror that morning and knew he had to do this.

He looked at his reflection in the elevator doors and took a deep breath. Following Sakura's advice, he untied his tie and put it in his pocket. He unbuttoned the top button of his shirt as he heard the elevator signaling he had reached his destination. He walked out already feeling a little more at ease than the way he was before.

"Syaoran!" his father looked at him from his desk and motioned for him to seat in one of the chairs in front of him. "You're here. I was surprised when Stella told me you booked a meeting with me."

Syaoran took the offered seat. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

Xian frowned, "Advice?"

Syaoran shook his head, "I was told you own a piece of land I want to buy."

Xian knowingly smiled at his son. "Let's do business then."

~o~

It was supposed to be cold tonight according to the news weather lady this morning, yet she had been wrong again. By the time they got into Li's house it was snowing with a possibility of getting worst as the night went by. It was almost Spring and yet they had prognosticated a very abnormal cold weather for this weekend. They stepped out of the car and walked quickly towards the house.

"This is some night to do a dinner here." Jun muttered as they waited on Wei to open the door.

"We're already here, baby." She softly said.

Wei opened the door and with a bow welcomed them into the house. He took the small bag from Jun's hand and gave it to one of the maids at his side. "I'll see to it that your belongings are prepared in your room Ms. Sakura."

She smiled at him, "Thanks Wei."

Jun and Sakura walked straight into the living room. There was absolutely nothing in it that didn't screamed luxury. From the stone wall fireplace to the modern white leather sofa you could sense Yelan took her time in planning her own decoration. She made sure they had the most magnificent décor that anyone could ever see inside her house. While her husband worked at his company and got the title of the most prestigious CEO in China, she made sure his life at home was up to his standards.

She looked around and found the girls sitting in the sofa which meant the guys were somewhere around the house.

"Sakura, I'm so glad you could make it." Yelan happily greeted. She walked towards Sakura and gave her a hug.

Sakura smiled and hugged her back. She kept taking notice of her surroundings. She had been here before, yet every time she came to visit she would find something new decorating the living room. And this time it wasn't different for she found a new red orchid arrangement with a black vase decorating the top of the fireplace. "We tried to get here a little earlier but Jun couldn't get out of the office before 6:30."

"Oh, nonsense, it's alright." She replied while hugging Jun as well.

As Xiefa had told her Xian was in the house as well. He walked from the corner of the room with his cup of brandy in his hands before extending his hand to greet Jun before looking at her. "Do not leave without speaking with me."

She smiled and nodded. A couple of voices made her notice the guys walking down the stairs to her left. The three of them were all caught up in some conversation which probably involved soccer.

"Sakura!" Eriol smiled as he greeted her. "You're finally here!" he said as the three of them walked downstairs to welcome them.

"Jun, this is Eriol and Kyu." she politely introduced them to her boyfriend.

"Ah, nice to meet you." At the mention of their names, Jun extended his hand to greet them.

Since Syaoran was the last one to come down stairs, she introduced him last. "And this is Syaoran."

Jun got closer to Sakura and put an arm around her waist at the sight of Syaoran walking down the stairs towards them, gesture that didn't go unnoticed by Syaoran at all. She looked at Jun strangely but said nothing about it.

Although Syaoran wanted to get Jun's hands off her, even if he had to punch the guy to do so, he kept his composure as if nothing had happened. Throughout the years he had learned how to mask his emotions in a way that no one knew what he was thinking. Only his closest friends could catch the meaning behind his actions if he ever emitted such. He politely walked towards them and extended his hand towards him, "Jun, Sakura, it's good to have you at home for dinner."

Jun kept staring at Syaoran yet he politely as well shook his hand. There was something about Syaoran that threw him off. From the moment he first saw him at the hotel's elevator the way he had stared at Sakura left a bad impression on him. He didn't like how Syaoran looked at his girlfriend at all. If it was up to Jun, he would gladly marry her and take her away from the whole Li family and yet there was nothing he could do about it. She was just so headstrong when it came to her job.

"Dinner is served." Wei announced.

They nodded and walked towards the dining room. The table was set nicely and organized. The vegetables were orderly put in the corner, the side dishes on the middle and the meat on the other side. They all sat down and ate. Thankfully this dinner had gone like Yelan had wanted it to. Nothing dramatic, just a peaceful quiet family dinner with a few laughs here and there.

By the time they had finished dinner, Sakura went into the study to talk to Xian while the rest of them waited on her to be done to go out clubbing just like Xiefa had suggested. In the end, Xiefa had decided to stay with the excuse of needing to finish a job she was supposed to. After talking with Xian, Sakura walked out of his study and reunited with them. In her absence, they had decided to take two cars since the only ones going to the club would be them. 'Just like high school, except this time I'm with Jun'. The thought made her feel a little nostalgic yet she shook it off and walked outside with her boyfriend.

The club was exclusively reserved by Mark's agent for that night. Only his friends and the people he had invited for his birthday were allowed to be in there. They had entered the club a couple of minutes later and were searching for their friend to congratulate him on his birthday except Syaoran. He had already excused himself with the excuse of seeing an old friend of his by the bar. Needless to say his old friend was a blond woman who he had introduced to them as Katherine before leaving with her to the dance floor.

"Oh! I haven't been clubbing with you in such a long time baby!" Meiling excitedly said to Kyu while putting her arms around his neck.

He smirked while giving her a quick peck on the lips and disentangling her arms. He took her hand and walked towards the bar with the rest of them following behind. They asked the bartender to serve them some drinks. As Eriol looked to his side, he nudged Kyu so that he too looked as well. Mark was already there celebrating his birthday with two shots in front of him.

"Guys! You made it!" he loudly said. There was no doubt he had started celebrating a while ago as his steps weren't even steady when he went to greet them.

"Happy birthday man!" Eriol said laughing while giving him a half hug.

"Yeah thanks! Is not every day a man reaches 26!" he said semi drunk already. "Where's Syaoran?"

Kyu smirked and nodded to the dance floor.

Mark shook his head, "Figures…"

"Mark! You left your drinks man. You need to drink these!" Gee yelled from the bar. Mark turned and walked back to drink the last two shots that he had left pending while greeting them. He downed the two shots while releasing a scream of accomplishment after finishing the last one and started patting his friend's hands.

Kyu chuckled, "He'll definitely feel that tomorrow morning." He said.

Sakura wasn't paying too much attention to Mark's behavior. Instead her mind was indirectly focused on Syaoran dancing in the dance floor. She had recognized his little blond friend from the community event picture. It was so obvious how the woman wanted him for herself. She moved her body in a provocative way to have his entire attention to her. There was no doubt she was an expert getting whatever she wanted. Sakura stole another glance as she saw his hands pulled her waist closer to his body and he whispered something that made her laugh as they kept dancing pretty close to each other. She turned her face away from the scene.

"I'll be right back. I'm going to the bathroom." she smiled at her boyfriend and headed to the bathroom. They had just gotten to the club and yet she felt like she needed a break already. In fact, she was so ready for it to be over.

"So, how long have you known Sakura?" Meiling asked him.

"About three years." Jun answered while drinking a little of his whiskey.

"And you've been dating for two?" Tomoyo asked.

He nodded. "Well, almost two."

"You know... I have to admit I never imagined she would end up dating a politician." Eriol commented.

He laughed, "Well, I'm not a politician yet, but I do consider myself lucky." He nodded towards Syaoran on the dance floor, "Is he always like this?"

"Like what?" Meiling asked.

The tone of her question suggested treading carefully around the answer but Jun didn't care if she was going to like his answer or not, "Don't get me wrong but the only thing he needs right now is a room."

Meiling smirked. "You could blame your girlfriend for that."

He lost his smile and quickly looked at Meiling. "What do you mean?"

"Meiling..." Eriol warned her to stop. His face was enough to hold any woman but he should have known it wouldn't work on his cousin.

She naughtily smiled, "Since she left, he hasn't been the same."

"Enough! Let's go!" Kyu hold her hand and started walking.

"Where are we going?" she said making him stop.

"Dancing! For the first time I want to dance." He pulled her towards the dance floor without giving her the chance to say anything more.

Jun turned his face towards Eriol, "Did they have something going on in the past?"

Eriol sighed, "Look man, maybe it's better if you ask Sakura about it."

She returned from the bathroom several minutes later to find Jun on the bar next to Eriol and Tomoyo. She walked towards them until she was by his side again. She put her hands around his torso but got no reaction from him. She saw him drink down more than half the cup of whiskey he had in his hands and worried. His face gave notice that something had changed while she'd been away, "Are you okay?"

He put his face right next to her ear and said, "I'm ready to leave."

She looked at his face again but he didn't say anything else. The seriousness she found there was enough indication that something had definitely pissed him off. She nodded and took his hand. "Guys, we'll call it a night."

"What? You're leaving? But the night is just starting!" Tomoyo whined.

Sakura smiled, "I'm tired and we're just ready to call it a night. We'll take a cab to get back."

Eriol nodded. "Well then, I guess we'll see you at the house."

Sakura nodded and smiled. She took her purse with one hand and took Jun's hand with the other to walk outside. The valet called for a cab on the side. After getting in she gave the Li residence address to the driver and waited for Jun to get in on the other side.

The ride to the house was silent. She looked out the window at the falling snow which was coming down a little harder by now and the passing trees that were illuminated by the car lights. There was something bothering him that much was obvious, but she couldn't figure out what it was. She started running through the events of tonight on her mind to try and figure out what had put him in this mood. They were spending the night alright, they were having fun, and then suddenly a trip to the bathroom turned their night upside down so she deducted that he must have heard something.

They reached the house and the cab stop right in front of it. Without saying much he got out of the car and walked inside the house. She looked at him from the car. There was no doubt in her mind that tonight they would probably fight. She paid the cab driver and followed him directly into the house. She closed the door after getting inside their room and stared at him.

"You want to tell me what's bothering you?" she wouldn't dare walking towards him. From the door she watched him take off his watch as he did every night and then turned towards her.

"How do you know Li?"

"I told you, we studied together in Tomoeda High."

"Was that all?"

She stared at his eyes. There was something intimidating about the way he was acting. His questions led her to believe that he probably had found out about her relationship with Syaoran in the past. She turned her face away took a deep breath. "We dated back then."

"Dated?" he incredulously asked. "That guy doesn't date Sakura."

"He wasn't always like that Jun."

"How long did you dated for?"

She tiredly sighed and ran her hands through her hair like she always did whenever she wanted to avoid something, "Why does this even matter Jun? It was seven years ago."

"How long?" he demanded.

"Three years."

"And you think this wasn't important to mention it to me? Where you even planning on telling me?"

She sighed and walked towards the dresser. She took her jewelry off, "I frankly didn't see the point. It happened seven years ago. We dated, we broke up, we moved on."

"Is that what you think? That he moved on? Do you think I don't notice the way he looks at you?"

She looked at him through the mirror's reflection, "Please... he looks at every woman that walks in front of him the same way."

He shook his head. "At first I thought I was imagining things, but now I know why. Are you having an affair with him?"

"What?" she stood up immediately turned around and looked at him.

"Why else would you try to hide this from me?"

By now they had both raised their voice more than normal yet they still weren't yelling at each other. "I never hide this from you. You never asked before and I never indulged on it."

"So you didn't think it was important to mention that your ex-boyfriend was the one that invited you to dinner tonight?"

"Jun, he didn't invited me, Xiefa did as a family dinner. Her mother wanted me here as well" She tiredly sighed and lowered her voice once again. She hated when things got out of control. "You are imagining things. There is nothing going on between us."

"I don't want to stay here anymore." He took out his bag and started to fill it up with the little stuff they had brought to stay the night.

She hated when he was like this. "This is why I didn't tell you, because I knew you would get like this. Do you not trust me?"

"You were his girlfriend Sakura, and you didn't even care to mention it to me. Now you're asking me if I don't trust you?" He stopped what he was doing to look at her, "I don't trust him. Pack your things, we're leaving."

She looked at him packing and sighed. She could have snapped back at him, tell him to go back to the city alone if that's what he wanted to do. There were so many things she could have said but the thought of having to spend time in this house while Syaoran exhibited himself with his little blonde friend diminished any words she could say to her boyfriend in order to stay so she decided to start packing as well. Perhaps leaving was for the best.

As they reached the first floor, the door opened. She cursed internally at the sight of Syaoran coming in through the door. She noticed he came alone as the rest of the group followed behind him. He looked at her and frowned, but when he saw Jun and the bag he had on his hand he narrowed his eyes. "Are you not aware of the weather tonight? No one should be driving in this snow." Syaoran seriously said.

"Don't tell me what I can or can't do." Jun venomously told him.

"Jun!" Sakura was about to tell him something but his look made her hold what she was about to say. She noticed from the corner of her eyes that Syaoran tensed up. If this continued the way it was going there was no doubt in her head that Syaoran would probably start a fight with Jun in his own house.

Syaoran was pissed beyond words but he held his anger under control. If Jun decided to put Sakura's life at risk he would definitely take matters into his own hands. There was no way he would let her get out of the house tonight. They had barely made it in because they left a couple of minutes after they had left, but there was no way of driving in this weather by now.

"No one is going anywhere."

Sakura looked towards her right and felt relieved to find Xian walking towards them with a cup on hand. "The news weather report just came on TV. They're urging people not to drive because of the heavy snow. So, everyone should stay here tonight."

"We are not staying." Jun seriously looked at Xian taking Sakura's hand.

If Syaoran's eyes were intimidating whenever he was pissed, his father's doubled the intensity. "Son, these are no conditions to be driving right now."

He venomously said, "I am not your son."

"No one is leaving this house tonight whether you like it or not." Xian decisively said. "I suggest you pick your room. You may leave tomorrow after the weather clears up." He swallowed the last bit of his brandy and walked passed them towards his study.

"Wei can you please take our bags upstairs?" Sakura politely asked. "Thank you." She waited for Wei to take their bags right upstairs again. "Come on." She said to her boyfriend before turning towards the stairs and going towards their room.

He gave Syaoran one last nasty look before closely following her back upstairs towards their room.

**Author's Note:** Well, here's chapter 4! Wow… when I began writing it I didn't know I could write this much in a chapter. Hahaha I hope is not too long for you guys! I thank all the people who took some time to review chapter 3. It feels good to know that you like this story as much as I am enjoying writing it. Let me know what you think about this chapter. Do you guys think it's too long? Please read and review! Thanks!


	5. Chapter 5 - Walking in your Words

"_**Be patient when it seems things are not going right and may never be right again. Accept that what is yours will come to you in the right way at just the right moment." — Iyanla Vanzant**_

Chapter 5  
Walking in your Words

Xian

"She was right, you know…" he softly said to his wife as he caressed her arm. It was two in the morning and he was lying on his bed restless thanks to the events that had transpired last night in his house. His son's reaction after realizing what was happening with Sakura left no doubt on his mind that he still felt something for her. Even if Syaoran had learned how to mask his emotions he was still not good enough to masked them from his father. He had been watching the whole scene from a corner before deciding to step in.

Yelan turned to face him, "Who are you talking about love?"

"Sakura." He took a trend of hair out of her face and kept enjoying having her on his arms.

She loved the touch of his hands on her skin. With time she had learned that for him it was a gesture that spoke his emotions through it. When he was preoccupied he would touch her one way, when he wanted to be romantic he would touch her differently, but his caresses in the middle of the night only meant he was in a thoughtful mood. Right now, his lack of sleep and gentleness only told her there was something bothering him inside and he was still thinking on how to deal with it.

His auburn eyes were his greatest attribute for Yelan. She could easily drown herself in his lovable eyes. "About what?" she asked.

"Syaoran came into my office yesterday and asked to buy the soccer terrain. He wants to make improvements to it with the purpose of running his own league."

Yelan stood silenced for about a minute. She softly put her hand in his chest, "I thought we had agreed that he could stay playing soccer Xian. You promised."

"I didn't ask him Yelan, he came to buy it."

"And you think it's because of her?"

"I'm not saying it is."

She turned to look at the ceiling and think about this for a moment, "He's not meant for the office. We both know that. He has never in his life run anything, much less a business."

He smiled and put his arm around her to snuggle closer to her. "Do you think Xiefa is ready to take the office?"

"We've been training her, haven't we?"

"Even if Sakura is not around?"

She surprisingly looked at him, "What are you getting at?"

He smiled sweetly at her and caressed her face, "Nothing. It's just a question." He gave her a quick kiss and closed his eyes signaling this conversation was over at least for tonight. He had no doubt his wife would try to get more information from him but she would probably do it subtly, in an indirect way. Her cunning ways made her even more lovable to him. It was like a game and he had just played his first card.

~ o ~

She couldn't sleep by Jun's side tonight. There were so many things bothering her she wouldn't even know where to start. His misplaced jealousy was something she hated dealing with. I mean, she knew she should have told him yet there was something that always held her back from doing so. Come to think about it… there was always something that held her back every time she had to talk about her past to anyone.

She walked slowly down the corridors of the large mansion. Red curtains adorned the end of the hallway with a half table set below the window. Visiting Xiefa throughout the years always made her wonder how Syaoran had spent his childhood in this house. She could clearly see why he spoke of it not too fondly as everything was so perfectly organized. Not that he was a disorganized person but a child growing up in these circumstances would never be able to enjoy his childhood to the fullest.

She turned towards her right and went down the stairs to the first floor. No doubt sleep wouldn't find her any time soon tonight. She walked into the kitchen without bothering to turn the lights on and looked through the fridge. It was full of things the entire family liked. Wei always made sure to satisfy each member of the family when it came to doing the groceries. She could see Xiefa's favorite chocolates in a corner, Feimei and Fanren's favorite strawberry shortcake dessert in another corner… there was nothing missing in this fridge. After looking at several racks in the fridge, she finally came to the last one where a bowl of fresh strawberries caught her attention. She slowly took it out and placed it on the stand alone bar. She opened the plastic and started eating one.

'Mmm! Note to self, I need to ask him where he got these. They are perfect!' she thought. As she was about to take another strawberry, she looked up and found Syaoran watching her from one of the table's seat. Her heart skipped a beat but she recovered from it. She put her hand in her chest and took a deep breath. "You scared me!" she softly said. "Since when do you like hiding in the dark?"

She could feel him smirk, "Maybe around the same time you started sleepwalking into the fridge."

She chuckled, "I couldn't sleep."

He watched with much fascination as she took another strawberry in her mouth. The way she put it into her lips, the way her mouth savor every last bit of the strawberry, the way her face used to soften up when she swallowed it… every little movement she made he found alluring.

She curiously looked at him, "What?"

"Are they that good?" He stood up and walked towards the bar.

She chuckled and nodded.

He grabbed a strawberry from the bowl and ate it. "You're right, these are good."

She chuckled, "I need to ask Wei where he got these. They taste different from the last ones he brought."

He listened to her carefully while eating the strawberries with her. "Since when have you been my sister's best friend?"

"Since I came to China. Not just Xiefa, they have all been very nice."

He ate about three more strawberries before softly saying, "You didn't have to leave."

She looked at him, "Did you honestly think I could've stayed?"

He didn't hold her stare for long as he reached for another strawberry and ate it. "You know, when I was a kid I remember my father always had the last word in my house. Whatever he wanted we all had to comply with it. A true head of the family… building Li Corporation has always been his life. I remember spending time with him aside from the dinner table was near impossible."

"He has always loved you and your sisters even if he sometimes doesn't show it."

He smiled. "I remember I used to play with my soccer ball on the backyard of this house. He hated it. 'You should stop wasting your time kicking balls and start maturing into your future as the heir of Li Corporation.' He used said. I always ended up crying in my room till my mother comforted me. I still don't know how she convinced my father into letting me play but she did."

"She loves your father and he loves her very much. You can see it in his eyes. Perhaps saying no to her has always been his weakness."

He shook his head, "My father has never been weak Sakura. I feel like I owe my mother a lot. If she hadn't come up with the idea of letting me play till I started the university and got my bachelor's degree in business, I wouldn't be here right now. I'm pretty sure that for him letting me play pro must have been her plea or idea as well, but this time I don't know what she gave in exchange for letting me play."

"Does it matter?" she asked.

"What?"

"To you, does it matter how she did it? You're doing what you love. Even your father enjoys going to your games now. I'm sure watching you play and having fun in the field is worth whatever she did for you."

But it wasn't enough for him. His father had always been a business man even throughout his son's childhood years. He shook his head and said, "I want to know."

She chuckled. "You take after him, you know…" She took another strawberry into her mouth.

He frowned, "What? I don't remember me being that controlling."

"Your father is the reason why you can lead inside the field Syaoran. There's no way you don't know that," she said in a matter of fact way.

He frowned. "I'm not sure if I should take that as a compliment yet."

She chuckled. She took a deep breath before finally saying, "Thank you for not fighting earlier."

He took his last strawberry on his hand and calmly said, "I'm not a patient man Sakura. You know this so you better learn how to control your boy toy or else you'll have to deal with the consequences."

She sighed, "He's not my boy toy Syaoran he's my boyfriend."

There was something so wrong about that sentence to him. He didn't know Jun well and yet he disliked everything about the guy already. Irritation usually found its way to him whenever he heard from Jun since that first moment he saw him at Sakura's side in the elevator. He stared at her, "A boyfriend would never put your life at risk for something that happened in the past."

"Where you the one that told him?" she asked.

Syaoran shook his head, "Meiling did. But still, that's not reason enough to put your life in danger."

"Can you blame him?"

"I don't care." He quickly said. "Don't expect me to hold back if it ever happens again."

She watched him as he turned around and walked away eating his last strawberry. As she watched his back fading away into the living room, she thought on how difficult it must have been for him to hold back. Since she had met him, she knew how protective he was of those closest to him. Even after separating herself from him she knew if this were ever to happen again he would make good on his promise.

~ o ~

"Where were you?" Jun asked. He had woken up in the middle of the night to find the rest of the bed empty.

"I wanted a snack so I went to the kitchen. I brought you strawberries in case you wanted some." She simply replied.

He watched her sit right next to him with the strawberries on hand. "At this hour? You usually don't snack this late…"

She needed to fix this. If she wanted this relationship to work there was no denying that she would have to go back and explained to Jun what happened in her past or else he would not move on from this. And she desperately needed him to do so. She sighed and looked at him, "Don't interrupt me till I finish."

He nodded.

She took a deep breath, "Seven years ago I dated Syaoran, but it wasn't always like that. When I first met him, he was one of my first real friends at school. We didn't quite hit it off really well at the beginning but after getting to know each other we became really good friends. After a couple of months of knowing each other we started dating. We had what anyone would call a sweet high school romance throughout two years and eight months of our relationship. We dated for exactly three years and four months total and the last six months of our relationship we fought about every little thing you can possibly imagine. Our communication as a couple failed completely and the only thing it brought us was pain and heartaches. It was tiresome and suffocating, and after trying to endure it he ended up breaking up with me, the reason being that he needed to focus on his career and I was holding him back." She caressed his face and smiled. "I can assure you there is nothing going on between us but it does feel weird to see him again after so many years and I'm sure that for him it should be the same." She saw him nod and, in silent, mimic if he could ask now a question. She smiled and nodded.

"Did he know you were here?" he asked.

"No. He's not used to visiting his family. I guess after starting his pro career in Japan it was more difficult to do so because of his team's schedule. And since his mother visited him quite often in Japan I'm also guessing he never felt the need to do so either."

He nodded and sat up in front of her. "I'm sorry for what I said before. It's just… I've patiently waited for you. I've tried to understand everything you have needed me to since I met you Sakura. I've understood that your work takes up a lot of your time, I've tried to make peace with that sister of his for the last three years because she is a dear friend of yours, I've understood that whenever you're having a bad day it's better to leave you alone till you come and look for me, but babe… this is not something you can ask me to understand."

She shook her head, "I know I should've told you before, but trust me when I say I didn't thought it was that important. And I didn't mention anything before because when I left I just wanted to start again. I wanted to forget about my past and just start again and right now I can assure you Jun there's nothing going on between us baby." She ran her hands through her hair frustrated.

Jun looked away, "You've always asked me to tell you how I feel." He looked back at her, "I don't trust him Sakura."

"Then trust me Jun." She smiled and caressed his face, "Syaoran and I were done seven years ago. And right now we both have what we wanted. He has his career just like he dreamt of having and I have my life with you. And this is the way things are."

He nodded and hugged her. "I'm really sorry for getting mad at you earlier."

She shook her head and sighed, "No, I should have told you earlier."

~ o ~

Two weeks later the weather finally started to clear up. In the mornings the cold was still pretty much there but right after noon the beginning of spring could be felt in the relaxing breeze. In Meiling's books, that was considered a perfect day.

She was humming to herself while looking at a magazine Carli had told her to check for new trends coming out on the market. It was important that even when she was on her mini vacations she would stay up-to-date with the latest fashion. "Xiefa, do you think we can get Sakura out of the office today?"

Xiefa calmly ate her breakfast while looking through the business section of today's newspaper. "What for?"

"Shopping! Tomoyo and I want to go shopping just like old times."

Xiefa passed one of the pages and uninterestedly asked, "And you need Sakura for that?"

"Off course! We were three before your brother decided to screw everything up."

"Meiling!" Tomoyo shook her head. If Xiefa had minded the comment she never showed any signs of doing so. She merely chuckled and continued reading her newspaper. "Forgive your cousin Xiefa. Sometimes she talks too much for her own good. But I guess what she means is do you think your father would mind if we take Sakura for a day?"

Xiefa took a sip of her coffee and shook her head. "Nope. I'm sure he won't mind at all since it's her day off."

Meiling's eyes brightened. "Yes! Then we can ask her to come."

Xiefa looked at Tomoyo, "I'll text you her apartment address. You'll probably find her trying to do another new recipe she probably found searching Pinterest."

"This early?" Tomoyo asked.

Xiefa nodded. "She first reads a couple of recipes and, after finding the one she wants to try, she goes to the supermarket to get the stuff. And, since Jun is out of town again, I'm pretty sure she would probably try a hard one just to keep herself busy for the day."

"Not this time! We're going shopping. Come on Tomoyo! Let's go get Sakura before she starts cooking and doesn't have time for us." Meiling eagerly said. Determination already set on her mind.

"You don't want to come with us?" Tomoyo asked.

Xiefa shook her head. "Unlike Sakura, I don't usually like to take days off. There's always something to take care off in the office for me." She smiled as she put her newspaper down and walked towards the stairs to get ready for the day.

Tomoyo chuckled but nonetheless followed her friend out the door and into the car. After following Xiefa's directions, they were able to find the apartment complex with the name of 'Garden View' engraved in stone right next to a beautiful waterfall that adorned the front of the property. They put the code Xiefa had given them in the box in front of the gate and waited for the electric gate to open itself.

"This complex is nice. No wonder she never thought of going back to Japan." Tomoyo thoughtfully said as they passed a couple of townhouses with beautiful gardens on the way to finding Sakura's. A small park could be found in the middle of the complex. She could see some people where jogging around the park while others were walking or sitting in a small bench right in front of a lake. It was a peaceful place to live in.

A couple of minutes later they finally found her apartment. Meiling parked her car in front of it when she saw the number 1723 in a small plaque adorning the front of the door. They both got out of the car and she quickly knocked on the door.

Sakura opened the door and was surprised of seeing them outside of her door. "Girls! What are you doing here?"

"Well, we are going shopping and wanted to know if you wanted to come as well." Tomoyo said.

"This is a nice place you have here Sakura." Meiling looked around as she confidently invited herself in. A 60" TV was placed in the wall to her left with a white round leather sofa and a small crystal round coffee table in front of it. In the far side from the door she could see a crystal dining table with wooden contemporary chairs and a small bar on the right that looked towards the kitchen. At the right of the TV, in between the dining room and the living room there was a closed door which she could probably guess was her room.

"Thanks. Come in." she said although the only one that was actually waiting to get in was Tomoyo. "You guys want something to drink?"

"I can do with a little water. When I get back into modeling again I'm afraid I'll be so out of shape that I won't be able to model anything at all."

Tomoyo rolled her eyes. "You've never had problem with your weight before Meiling."

Sakura chuckled but went to get the water for them. "What are you getting at the mall?"

Tomoyo chuckled, "Meiling needs to buy something for Kyu."

Sakura gave them their water and frowned. "Isn't Kyu's birthday on November?"

Tomoyo nodded, "Yeah… it's not that kind of gift. Let's just say she will need to ask for forgiveness soon."

Meiling rolled her eyes and scoffed, "Oh, is not like it's a big deal. I just did a shoot he'll probably not like."

"Probably?" Tomoyo smirked.

"Alright! He won't like." She rolled her eyes and excitedly looked at Sakura. "Well, let's go. It'll be just like old time."

Sakura chuckled and nodded. "Let me get my purse and we're out of here."

~ o ~

He swam another hundred meters. Even if their coach had given them two weeks off before starting practices again he couldn't stay put without doing anything. He needed to be in shape, he needed to be strong. He wanted that trophy as if his life depended on it. There was nothing that could stop him from preparing for the tournament, not even these two weeks off. Eriol and Kyu had told him they would at least take a few days since their girlfriends were in town but that was not his case.

He turned under water and started another hundred meter swim. His mind wandered to its latest favorite topic named Sakura, something that clearly was bothering him already. There was something that always pulled him towards her, he knew that much. Seven years away from her were not enough to forget her. Another thing he clearly knew too well. And then to find her again but dating that moron who didn't even care for her life… What was she thinking? She had never been weak… much less let a man decide what she needed to do. It was never in her, and yet that night she had let him make the decision without even having a say on it. He even watched as Jun silenced her with a stare. I mean, he could clearly see she didn't love him. What in the world was she still doing with him?

He reached the end of his lap and reclined himself on the cement by the end of the pool. He took his goggles out and tried to catch his breath. He checked the timer on his watch to make sure he had made the whole circuit on time and stopped the watch from keep going.

"Did you make it?"

He looked up to find his mother smiling at him. She was wearing long pants and a loose elegant shirt as she sat down on one of the pool chairs.

He nodded. "I need to write this time. Tomorrow I'll have to do better."

"Will you be staying the whole week?" she sweetly asked.

"I'm not sure. The guys want to go to the cabin and stay a few days. Can we use it?"

She nodded. "When are you planning on going? I can send a few people to get it ready for you."

"It will have to be this weekend. Next week we start practices again."

She nodded. "Then I'll let Kani know so that she can pick up some members of the staff and prepare it for you. Do you need her to take some of your belongings as well?"

He shook his head. "It's fine. We'll probably just stay three days. We won't need much."

She nodded. "I was talking to your father the other day."

He got out of the pool and went to get his towel which was in the pool seat right next to his mother. He could already see where she was going with the whole sentence. "Don't tell me, the terrain?"

She smiled at her son, "What are you thinking with this?"

He sighed, "Mother, let me handle my own affairs."

She watched as he dried his hair first and insisted on staying with her task. "Your own affairs are coinciding with a terrain bought by Li Corporation. Until a decision has been reached on the sale of this terrain I am entitled to get information of it."

He shook his head and smiled. "That may be right but the information you're entitled to have is only the one that comes from your offices, not from me."

"Then let's just say, as a mother off course, I'm curious to know why my son instead of thinking of signing a contract on a European soccer league is more concern for signing a contract to buy a terrain in China."

He dried the rest of his body and rested the towel on his neck before looking at her, "It's my money. I can do whatever I want with it."

"It may be your money but you are my son. Does this have anything to do with Sakura by any chance?"

Dealing with his mother had never been an easy task for him yet hearing Sakura's name on her lips made him warn her, "Leave her out of this mother."

"Why should I? You have never been interested in returning to China. While you were away all those years in Japan you never stepped one foot in here. The only thing I can think of that has changed is the fact that now you know she is living here."

"This has nothing to do with her." He was already losing his patience after hearing Sakura's name in the conversation but stayed calmed knowing being casual about it was the only way his mother would leave him be.

"Doesn't it?" she asked.

He chuckled, "Regardless of how amusing I find your little theory, this has nothing to do with her. This is something I want to do on my own."

Yelan looked sternly at her son, "Syaoran, you've never run a business before. To be able to do it you need to invest much of your personal time in it so that it can be successful and right now you only have time for your training. Have you decided not to play pro in the European League then?"

After drying his hair once more and back with his towel, he put it around his waist and calmly said, "Mother, stop worrying. I haven't decided anything yet. Let me handle my life please," before walking back inside the house towards his room. As he was walking down the corridor, he found Eriol and Kyu walking towards him. "What are you guys doing here? I thought you were going out with your girlfriends."

"Oh, we are but we're giving them a little alone time so that they can enjoy themselves shopping." Eriol answered.

Syaoran chuckled, "You mean you're hiding from them?" He continued walking towards his room as Kyu and Eriol followed him while talking.

"Hey, we're not hiding!" Kyu said. "We're just giving them some girl alone shopping time before we finally go there. Do you want to come?"

Syaoran smirked, "Shopping? With Meiling and Tomoyo? No."

"Yeah! You can come in and share our pain… I mean our joy of spending time with them on the mall." Eriol chuckled.

Syaoran chuckled and shook his head. "Thanks but I'll pass."

"You might want to reconsider."

He stopped and turned around to find Xiefa smirking with her hands crossed as she reclined herself in the wall right in front of his room. She had been hearing their conversation as she was going up the stairs and couldn't help inviting herself into the conversation as well.

He narrowed his eyes at his sister. Out of all four of his sisters Xiefa was the one he trusted the least. He didn't hate her or anything like that in fact he loved all of his sisters. But out of all of them she was the most similar to his mother. Always conniving and controlling people into doing their biding. "Why would I?"

She smiled at him and shrugged, "Just a hunch." She winked at him before walking away towards her room which was located to the left of Syaoran's.

"Okay, that was weird." Eriol said.

"Yeah, no arguing there." Kyu said.

There was no doubt his sister was up to something. He knew her too well. "Let me change and I'll go with you guys."

Kyu looked at him surprised, "Really?"

He nodded before going into his room and closing the door after.

To Eriol, there was something off about what had just happened. He took out his cell phone and texted his girlfriend.

*Hey baby, are you two already there?

*Well, actually three. We picked Sakura up to come with us. Hope you guys won't mind.

Eriol scoffed. "I guess we're not the only ones who want those two back together." He softly said as he showed his phone to Kyu.

Kyu looked at the message and smirked. He was pretty sure that Syaoran perfectly understood his sister's message before changing his mind. "Do you think we should ask Xiefa how to get rid of Jun?"

Eriol shook his head. "I think if she knew how to do so she would've done it a long time ago. Xiefa is not the type of person who waits to act."

~ o ~

After three hours alone in the mall and having tried hundreds of different outfits, the girls had decided to enter a small natural scent store on the corner of one of the hallways. Aside from cooking on her days off, Sakura loved to try different aromas. She was used to buying the small bubble bath balls with a soft calming scent and used them on her bathtub whenever she had a day off. Feeling fresh was something that soothed her mood most of the time and trying on different aromas helped her calm her stress down.

"What about this one? Do you think Kyu will like it?" Meiling asked showing them a small bottle of oil for the skin that smelled like roses.

"Well, does he like a sweet scent or a strong scent?" Sakura asked her.

"I'm not sure. I mean, is not like he talks about how I smell." Meiling chuckled.

"Has he never given you a compliment on it Meiling?" Sakura asked.

She shook her head.

Sakura sighed. 'Looks like we're going to be here for a while,' she thought. "I'd try a sweet scent and if he doesn't say anything you might want to subtly ask him."

She nodded and put the bottle back in its shelf. She kept looking around the racks to try to find a sweet scent just like Sakura had suggested.

Sakura kept looking around the racks. She had recently purchased one of cherry blossoms and loved the smell of it. It was definitely one she wrote down on her favorites list. As she kept walking around the store, she found in one of the racks the store had brought a new scent of sandalwood. She stared at it before taking one of the testers and spraying a little bit of the body splash in one of the tester papers. The smell brought her back memories… memories she had well guarded with her silence. She remembered too well how his pillows would always have this intoxicating smell on them.

"What is this smell?" Tomoyo took the paper out of her hands and smelled it as well. "Where have I smelled this before?"

Sakura recovered from her memory lane halt and smiled before quickly said, "It's a new scent. I hadn't seen this one here before."

Tomoyo nodded and smiled, "Smells good."

Sakura nodded, "Yeah, just not for me. I think I will help Meiling with finding a sweet one." She turned around to search for Meiling but instead found herself facing the one person she least wanted to see right now. "Syaoran!"

"You guys are still not done yet?" he grumpily asked.

Eriol and Kyu walked behind him with their hands on their pockets. When Eriol saw his girlfriend at Sakura's side he smiled. He walked towards her and gave her a quick kiss on the lips before asking, "How's shopping going?"

She raised the five bags she had on hand and smiled sweetly at him.

"That good huh…" he chuckled and took the bags from her hands. "Come on! Let's get Meiling and get out of here. I'm starving!"

The rest of them nodded and walked a few more steps till they reached the aisle she was in. She was looking at some of the sweeter scents when they arrived. "Oh, you guys are here already?"

"What are you doing babe?" Kyu curiously asked.

She quickly put the bottle she was looking at in the shelf before quickly replying, "Nothing. We're just looking around."

He gave her a quick kiss as well and grabbed her bags to walk out of the store. Unlike Tomoyo, Meiling was the one with the most bags on her hands so he had to use both hands to carry all the stuff she had bought. They walked out of the store and decided to eat at a sushi place that was conveniently right in front of the store.

"Oh Sakura, wait and see the plates they serve here. They are so good!" Meiling excitedly said as she dragged Sakura to walk at her side. A couple of minutes later they had picked their table and the waiter took their orders.

Meiling waited till the waiter was gone. She took the advantage that Sakura was here to bring up the topic of the cabin to her cousin knowing that with Sakura here they would probably have a better chance at been able to go. Or at least they used to in the past. Why change something that has worked before right? "Syaoran, we were thinking a couple of weeks ago how good it would be to relax at some place before I have to go back to work and you guys to practice, and coincidentally the cabin was mentioned. Do you think you can spare a few days to come with us before I ask auntie for it?"

"I already asked mother to borrow the cabin for this weekend for us." Syaoran simply said.

Sakura followed everyone's stare and looked at him. "You asked your mother?"

He nodded. "I think it's a good idea to relax for a few days before starting practice again."

Eriol touched Syaoran's forehead for a second. "Are you sick?"

"What are you doing?" he grumpily tossed Eriol's hand away and narrowed his eyes at him.

Kyu chuckled, "Well, since you never said anything when we mentioned it to you, we all thought you would say no."

"Mother is sending the staff to clean it up tomorrow so we can stay the weekend."

"Really?" Meiling excitedly asked.

"But no more than three days Meiling." He warned her.

Meiling squealed happily and nodded. "Sakura you'll be coming too, right?"

Sakura looked at Meiling, "I didn't know anything about this till now."

"Oh come on! Please!"

"There's enough room for all of us in the cabin if you decide to go." Syaoran added.

She nodded. "I'll check my schedule and let you guys know later."

"Oh, leave everything to Xiefa and just come."

She chuckled at Meiling's childish answer, "I'll see and let you know."

"Fine."

Twenty minutes later the food came. The table was occupied by several sushi rolls all with different toppings in them. While for many other people sushi tasted the same whether it was from China or Japan, for her sushi always tasted different depending on where she was eating it. Sakura grabbed the first one and to her surprise it was really good. She always had trouble when eating things that were traditionally from Japan in other countries but this one was good to her.

After enjoying their lunch, they all went to the front to pay for their meals. Eriol paid first. He signed his merchant receipt before allowing Kyu to go after him. He nudged him to take a look at Syaoran who was right behind Sakura waiting to pay as well. Kyu immediately caught the message and nodded. Eriol took Tomoyo's hand and left first towards the front of the restaurant to wait for the rest of them. Kyu quickly paid for Meiling's and his meal. "Come on." He softly said to Meiling. "We can wait with Eriol."

Meiling frowned while following her boyfriend but quickly caught on as well and smiled to herself.

Sakura took out her card but Syaoran put his on the counter. "Pay the rest out of this one."

She quickly took his card away from the waiter's hand and looked at Syaoran, "I will pay for my own meal."

He took his card away from her hand and placed it on top of the counter again. "I'm inviting you on this lunch."

She narrowed her eyes at him and asked, "Is there a specific reason why you feel like you have to do this?"

"Do you need a specific reason?"

She put her hand on her waist. "Yes."

"Fine then… Consider it my thank you for the tie thing." He said as he nodded to the waiter to take his card from the counter.

"You don't need to thank me." She gave her card back to the waiter and Syaoran took it back from him.

He took his card from the counter and gave it to the waiter again. "I know, but I want to." He kept Sakura's card on his hand so that she couldn't do anything to avoid it.

"Why do you want to make everything more difficult?"

"I'm not making anything more difficult."

The waiter chuckled as he cut the receipt from the machine so that Syoaran could sign it. They both looked at him curiously but didn't say anything about it. Syaoran signed the receipt and thank the waiter again for his service.

Sakura sighed.

She started to walk away when she felt him take her shopping bags from her hands. "I can carry these too for you." He softly said.

A small smile started to find its way on her face but she quickly stopped herself. "There's no need really. I can do it myself." She said knowing how much he hated back then carrying her bags whenever she went shopping with his cousin. She tried to take the bags from him but he quickly moved them to his other hand evading her way into getting them.

"Don't."

"You really don't have to."

"Are you two done fighting?" Kyu asked smirking their way.

They both narrowed their eyes at him but nonetheless started walking towards the parking lot following behind.

~ o ~

The next day, she was feeling confident as she walked into Makimasi Corporation for her meeting with the president. Although she didn't trust the guy, she knew he was fond of her so it was a good start. She didn't have anything to fear about this meeting. In fact, she just wanted to get it over with so that she could keep working on the tournament things that were still not completed. She waited patiently as his secretary announced her in.

"Ms. Kinomoto is here to see you." The secretary nodded after hearing his answer and turned towards her. "You may go in. He's expecting you."

Sakura smiled and nodded. "Thank you." She walked in and greeted Mr. Makimasi. Although she disliked everything about this man, she put a smile on her face, "Mr. Makimasi, it's nice to see you again." She shook his hand and took one of the seats in front of him.

"Ms. Kinomoto, I keep hearing about you wherever I go. I'm impressed. People say you could easily run a company without much trouble."

She politely smiled but at the same time responded, "That's not my background."

"And yet that is the fame you've acquired among us business men." He smirked.

She nodded, "Thank you for the compliment but as you must also have heard I like to get down to business quickly." She handed him a black business presentation folder with the agreement inside.

"Ah yes." He smiled while grabbing the folder and opening it. He flipped through pages quickly but stayed silent with them.

"The offer is simple. Li wants you to be part of our team as we create the best spectacle that soccer history has seen. There are only quite a few people who get this chance that Li is offering. Being his biggest competitor has made you very valuable to his eyes and as such he decided to give this opportunity to you."

He stayed smiling as he closed the folder and looked at her. "What about you? What do you think?"

She was wary of the fact that he had hardly read any of the pages that were inside the folder. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't think his words were true. Will you join us?"

He stared at her, analyzing her words. "How about I make you a deal?" He leaned back on his chair and smiled at her, "I'll sign this contract if you come and work for me."

She stared at him. There was a reason why she knew not to trust him. From the very beginning her intuition had warned her about this and yet since Xian wanted him in she had no choice but to accept his decision. "I'm not part of the agreement."

"If what you say is true, you want this World Cup to be the best and for that you need me. The only way I'm signing these papers is if you come and work for me. It's up to you then. My offer is on the table."

She smirked, "Tell me something Mr. Makimasi, have I always being part of the new renovation plan you're considering for your company?"

He shot her a conniving smiled before replying, "I'm a business man Ms. Kinomoto."

Sakura confidently smiled. If there was one thing that Xian had taught her well was how to deal with difficult situations like these. "You're mistaken. I don't need you to create the best World Cup opener in history. I am only giving you a chance of being part of something great. Something that can put your company in history books."

"Am I not doing the same?" he innocently asked.

She smiled at him, "Then we're done here." She stood up from her seat and walked towards the door.

"You know," she heard him say and stopped to let him finish. "Being this confident in your abilities could be your downfall."

She turned around from the door and looked at him, "Being this confident in my abilities is why you want me." She turned around again and walked out of his office.

~ o ~

Xian finished hanging up the phone pissed. He had just been talking to Mr. Makimasi who had just told him the news. Xiefa walked quickly into her father's office and sat down in front of him. "I just received a phone call from Sakura… She failed to close the deal."

He looked at his daughter and sighed. Sakura had been his last card when it came to Makimasi. "Where is she now?"

"She said to let you know she was taking the rest of the day off."

He nodded.

"What do you want to do? Should we start asking for quotes again or do you want to meet with him personally?"

"I already did." He stood up and walked towards his window. "Let me think. I'll call you when I have an answer."

Xiefa nodded. She stood up and left him to his thoughts.

He waited till she was out of the office before getting his phone out and speed-dial the first number that came to mind.

_Hi Love!_

He chuckled. "I wonder what you have done for greeting me like this." There were no gray days when it came to his wife. The mere sound of her voice was enough to clear any clouds from his mind. He heard her laugh at the other end of the line and smiled.

_Well you mean apart from talking to my son?_

So there it was... She had talked to Syaoran. He smirked and chuckled. "You did? Pray tell me, where you able to convince him?"

_You forget I am your wife after all._

He chuckled. "And he is my son after all. But this is not why I called you."

_I'm listening._

"Sakura failed to get the deal."

_You said you were sure she would close it._

"I will tell you the details later, for now I think you need to call Minerva. Let her know of our plans and see if she can recommend us someone for the sound equipment."

_On it. Love you!_

He heard the end of the phone call and stared at his phone. He chuckled. She was so competitive. Even if it was a small phone call she needed to have the last word.

~ o ~

She came back from her long walk. Today had been one of those days she hated from morning till night. Jun had left two days ago to his seminar down at Japan, her friends were all spending time with their boyfriends, and finally she had blown up one of the most important meeting for the tournament. She really felt like crying yet she knew she wouldn't do so. That stupid jerk wasn't worth one tear from her even if it was a failed deal.

'I'm so looking forward to tomorrow morning.' She sarcastically thought. Xian wouldn't be happy about it that was certain. Xiefa would probably pester her about it as well. She sighed and stopped in front of her apartment complex. The only thing that could probably save her from all the bullshit she was about to hear tomorrow would be if she came up with a backup plan and yet that required too much thinking and analyzing from her part.

She was walking around the park thinking on her next course of action.

"Ms. Sakura!" the front gate guard greeted her. He was doing his normal stroll around the complex when he found her walking.

"Hi . How have you been?" she greeted back with a smile.

"Good. I was hoping I could run into you today. My daughter just gave birth to a baby boy today."

"That's great. Congratulations!"

"I'm about to head over there once my shift is over. I was about to ask you if you wanted to come with me but I see you have a guest waiting for you."

'Great! My night just got better.' She smiled. "I would love to but it will have to be another time then."

"Ah great." She saw him take out a small notepad and wrote down something before giving her the paper.

She looked at the paper to find the hospital information on it. "In case you wish to visit Gia. I'm sure she'll be glad to see you."

She nodded and smiled. "Congratulate her for me tonight."

"I sure will." He smiled back at her.

Saying her goodbye, she kept walking towards her apartment. She could only guess who was waiting for her… Xiefa. She just couldn't wait till tomorrow to let her know that she had screwed up with the meeting. She ran her hand through her hair and took a deep breath before turning towards her apartment. She stopped at the sidewalk.

She had expected to see an angry Xiefa and yet she found a smirking Syaoran with a bag on his hand. He pushed himself from reclining on his car and walked all the way to the front of her apartment to wait for her. She sighed walking towards her apartment as well opening the door. "I shouldn't really let you in, you know…"

He chuckled, "Why? You'll get yourself in trouble for allowing a friend inside your apartment?"

She smirked at him, "I'm not in the mood for games Syaoran. I'm sure you know what anyone could say if they see you entering my apartment at night."

He shrugged not minding the warning and walking inside her apartment after her. "Hey, it's not my fault that you came back this late. I was actually here at 8:30 and…" he held a bag up emphasizing its contents, "I brought some ice cream. What do you think?"

She chuckled and rolled her eyes, "Thanks, but I'm not too sure if a sugar high is what I'm looking for tonight."

He chuckled as well, "Don't be so hard on yourself. It was just a meeting."

She opened her eyes and stared at him, "You heard about it?"

He softly smiled at her. "I was in my sister's office when you called in."

She turned her face away feeling a little embarrassed that he had actually heard something as disappointing as that. "Did your father say anything?"

He scoffed. "Oh yeah, he came in and said you are a complete failure for lacking the ability to close a deal for the company with an idiot who thought too high of himself to even work as a team on something as the World Cup."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes at him, "He did not say that."

Syaoran smirked, "Then why ask? You know he wouldn't say anything to me or just anyone about this."

She stared at him. The practical part of her mind was screaming at her to ask him to leave and yet her emotional part just couldn't. "What flavors did you get?"

"Let's see." He opened the bag and took two pints out. "There's Pistachio and Chocolate Chip. Which one do you want?"

She frowned, "You don't like Pistachio."

"Well then I guess you've just chosen yours." He said smiling and offering the pistachio flavored ice cream.

She shook her head and smiled at his childish ways while taking her pint out of her hands. She didn't fail to notice that he had actually gotten her favorite flavor. It was one of the few things that hadn't changed with time. She grabbed two spoons from her kitchen and came back to the living room.

Syaoran had the TV control already on hand and was switching the channels when she interrupted him. "No soccer games." She said as she walked towards her couch and sat next to him.

"What? Since when do we have these restrictions with the TV?"

She looked at him. "You play soccer, you dream soccer, and even I am planning an event with soccer involved… you won't get to watch it on my TV tonight. Give yourself a break from time to time."

"Bah! Don't tell me this is about the ice cream… You can't be that vengeful!"

She scoffed, "I don't fight for an ice cream flavor."

"Fine! We can watch Spartacus then." He suggested.

"I don't want to watch Spartacus."

He sighed. "Okay then, what do you want to watch?"

As he kept going through the cable guide she finally found something she liked on. "Oh! The Musketeers is on. Put it there."

He opened his eyes and quickly looked at her, "What? Are you serious Sakura? You're going to make me watch that?"

"I'm not making you watch anything. You are welcome to leave if you don't like it." She innocently smiled at him.

He stared at her before turning his gaze towards the TV and putting on her show. "This show better be good, no… better than Spartacus."

She chuckled and turned to watch her show.

He started to watch the show which surprisingly wasn't that bad. I mean, it wasn't Spartacus but the show had its action scenes. He was about to say something when he watched her spacing out watching the TV. He took a scoop of ice cream before asking, "You want to talk about it?"

"Mmm?" she questionable answered.

"The meeting, you want to talk about it?"

"What is there to talk about?" she said while tasting a scoop of her ice cream.

"What happened?"

She sighed. "He wanted an exchange. He would only sign the agreement if I resigned to my post on Li Corporation and go work for him."

He stared at her. "Father can't say anything to you because of that Sakura."

"Is not just that Syaoran," She ran her hands through her hair. "I already cancelled some contracts thinking that Makimasi would be involved in the tournament opening. This only sets us back a few weeks."

"So? You work on the contracts again." He simply said.

"Syaoran-"

"You're not a quitter Sakura. You've always known what you want. So you work on these new contracts till you get it."

She stared at him thinking that all she really wanted to do right now was to kiss him. There was no way she could hear those words coming from him and not feel the impulse to do so. She saw he was probably having the same mental battle within himself about it as well. Before any of them could act she smirked, "You know what I want right now?"

He stared at her, "What?"

"Chocolate chip ice cream," she teasingly smiled.

He frowned and narrowed his eyes while shielding his pint. "Get your own."

"Aw come on, just one scoop."

"One scoop? It's a pint. One scoop is like one fourth of the pint." He complained.

She rolled her eyes at him, "Don't exaggerate."

He looked at his pint. "I'm not! Look at it, it is almost one fourth."

"Aw Syaoran… It won't kill you to give me a scoop." She put her puppy eyes to him knowing there was no way he could ever say no to her now.

He narrowed his eyes at her, "That look comes from a whim."

She triumphantly smiled.

He sighed and gave in, "Just one scoop and measure it."

She chuckled but approached him and took her scoop. "Mmm… I haven't eaten ice cream in such a long time."

He chuckled, "Then it's good that I brought some."

She smiled at him and turned to watch the Musketeers again. She had to admit she had missed this. When she made the decision of staying in China seven years ago, she knew she would miss him as a man. But really what had hurt the most about their breakup was that Syaoran had always been like a best friend to her. She used to jog in the mornings with him, go to the movies with him, watch the games with him… In the end she had learned to count on him. "Thanks for coming tonight."

He stared at her as she watched the TV. There were so many things going through his mind right now, so many things he wanted to say to her. That he was sorry could be the first, that he was willing to do anything in his power to make her happy could be the second, that he wanted her back… Gosh he wanted her back! There were so many things he wanted to say to let her know that he was here for her whenever she needed him to be and yet he held back. "You're welcome. Does this mean I can put it on Spartacus?"

She smirked, "Not a chance."

**Author's note** – Well, here is chapter 5. I know it took some time for me to update but it's been a little hectic these past couple of weeks. I thank all of you who reviewed my fourth chapter. Each review keeps me wanting to write more and more for you guys. So please read this one and review as well. Let me know what you guys think ; )


	6. Chapter 6 - Back to Basics

"_**If someone comes into your life and has a positive impact on you, be thankful that your paths crossed. And even if they can't stay for some reason, be thankful that somehow they brought joy into your life, even if it was just for a short while. Life is change. People come and go, some stay, some don't and that's okay. Remember the good times and smile that it happened." – Brigitte**_

**Chapter 6  
Back to Basics**

An alarm clock could be heard from one of the corners in the room. Syaoran slowly opened his eyes and looked at the time. It read 4:30 am which only meant it was time for him to get up. He never had problems waking up at this time as long as it was for training. His body automatically moved towards the bathroom. He turned the water on and let the water running. Instead of quickly getting in, he brushed his teeth and waited till the water warm up. He took his normal quick shower and dried himself with the towel before putting it around his waist and walking out of the bathroom to get dressed.

It was still dark outside. He dressed himself with a blue sleeveless tank and black knee length shorts. Last but not least he tied up his running shoes before grabbing his phone and earphones as he walked out of his room and headed out of his house for a jog. Since he would be taking the weekend off, he decided to push extra hard these last couple of days to make up for lost time thanks to Meiling's great idea. Although after hearing that Sakura had agreed to accompany them he couldn't feel more appreciative towards his cousin.

Since the town wasn't that far away from his parent's house, he decided to jog to the park and then back. That would be a good hour and a half run before hitting the weights after. He enjoyed the peacefulness of jogging into town while listening to his music blasting through his headphones. He thought about the game they had just had against Italy. Although most of his teammates were in great shape and they had won the match, he still felt they still needed to improve their game if they wanted to win the Cup. He started going over the game in his head while entering the park.

He stepped to one of the several trails the park had to walk through it. Some of the trails led to the inside of the park, kind of like a maze, while others just went around the park. He usually ran the outside before running the inside. Spending most of his childhood in China he still remembered his way around the inside of the park. During the day, the park was regularly very busy. People could be seen walking, jogging, or even running their bicycles around but since it was so early he didn't see many people on it. Probably the only ones at this time in the park were early risers like himself that were conscious of their health and had made it a habit of coming early in the morning to start the day in a healthy way.

He turned around in one of the curves and spotted a very familiar person jogging along these early risers. He increased his speed a little but decided to stay behind her and enjoy the view. Her pace hadn't changed much from back in the days. As she took another curve, he noticed how her thoughtful face hadn't changed from being completely focused on what she was doing. Couple of minutes later, she reached the middle of the park and stopped. She kept walking slowly before finally stopping in front of the lake and start stretching. Syaoran took this chance to finally approach her.

"You still jog this early in the morning?" he casually asked.

She jumped after hearing his voice and turned to confirmed it. He was standing arrogantly behind her in his damped tank. She didn't miss the drops of sweat falling from his wet hair all the way to his face which made her heart jump even more than it was when she was running. There was no way she could deny she still felt something for him. Suddenly she felt grateful for being out of breath after running. She could easily hide her flushed face under the pretence of been doing exercise. She fought the temptation of running her hands through his face and instead casually asked, "Since when have you been there?"

He smiled, "Just a couple of minutes." He didn't indulge a lot on his answer and instead started stretching at her side.

She looked around the park, "I'm surprised your loyal reporters didn't follow you here."

He smirked, "No. They're probably still staring at my unmoved car parked in my parents' house."

She relaxed and chuckled before also starting to stretch. "You sneaked away then… Wait, did you jog all the way here from your parent's house?"

He nodded.

She raised a brow, "Are you okay?"

He looked at her confused by her question and nodded. "Yes, why?"

"That's a pretty long jog for anyone." She simply answered.

He chuckled and nodded, "Well, I'm not just anyone, am I?"

She shook her head and smiled, "Whatever."

"I'm surprised your little puppy is not around you this morning."

She scoffed, "You really won't stop calling him names will you?"

He smirked.

She rolled her eyes at him, "Jun doesn't like exercises."

"What? Too much for him?" Syaoran jokingly asked.

"No." She quickly said before defending her boyfriend, "you know, not everyone enjoys doing exercises the same way you do Syaoran."

"Or you apparently." He easily pointed out.

"If you must know I feel better this way."

He smirked, "Why? The less time you spend with him the better?"

"That's not what I mean! Don't put words into my mouth to say whatever works for you. As it so happens I like it better because it helps me clear things up in my head."

He scoffed. "And you couldn't do that while jogging with me before?"

"It's different." She had to admit, she walked right into that one. Ignoring his little question she took a deep breath before quickly saying, "So, I heard you were interested in buying a soccer terrain from Li Corporation."

He lost his smile and narrowed his eyes, "I see my sister can't keep her mouth shut."

Sakura smiled, "Actually it was your father the one that told me." His stare was hard to keep but still she kept her eyes on him, "what are you thinking?"

He looked away, "Are you asking as a friend or as my father's employee?"

She stared at him. Getting an answer from him wouldn't be easy. "I didn't know there was a difference."

Syaoran noticed the first rays of sun starting to loom over the mountains. He walked past Sakura towards the wooden fence behind her and reclined himself in it to watch the sun rise. Memories of his childhood came back to him as he remembered how much he enjoyed playing with his cousins around the park till the sun sat through the mountains in the afternoons. "I can't believe I've been away from this place for almost eight years."

Although she didn't show it to him, she was taken aback by his sudden change of subject. Part of her hurt from knowing he didn't trusted her like he used to but she knew it wasn't his fault. "I'd say eight years worth of been apart," she said.

He looked at her as she reclined against the fence at his side to admire the first rays of sun as well but instead of looking at them by the mountains she enjoyed the sight from the lake's reflection. She felt a little nervous as she felt his stare but tried to explain her answer, "You're living your dream and right in your home town. Can't ask for more than that can you?"

"I've missed you." He softly said.

She could hear the regret on his words and took a deep breath before turning to face him and sadly smiled. "Is that what the terrain is for?"

If it would've been anyone else, he could've tried to evade the question again or simply didn't answer it, and yet when it came to Sakura he knew he just couldn't do it. "I wanted to invest in something that would have meaning to me."

"A terrain will keep been a terrain if you don't have time to develop it Syaoran."

He was slightly hurt after hearing her words considering they were almost the same words his mother had uttered him a couple of days ago. "You don't think I can do this?"

She shook her head, "That's not what I'm saying. You can do it if you really want to. I have no doubt about that. I just don't see you having enough time after the cup to actually put your plan in motion."

He nodded, "I feel like this is something that I must do. Some of those kids could actually make it in the future if they have the correct facilities and resources at their disposition. And I can help them with that. So why shouldn't I?"

"I understand you wanting to do something good for these kids Syaoran, and your plan sounds like a good idea but still having just a plan or a vision is not good enough to succeed."

"Well, I won't know that till I try, will I?"

She hated when he was so stubborn before thinking things thoroughly, "You don't need to try to know this. I am telling you it's not enough." She turned around and walked a couple of steps away from him before she heard him.

"Then help me."

She quickly looked back at him and shook her head, "You must be kidding me."

"Why not? It's for a good cause. Those kids deserve better sports facilities than the ones they have now and I can help them with your help."

"Oh and how do I fit in this whole picture Syaoran? I work for your father. Surely you must know that after he sells that terrain to you it stops being any of his concern or the company's what you do with it."

"I'm not asking you to help me as my father's employee."

She rolled her eyes at him and with her hand accentuated, "Oh, here you go again splitting up my persona."

He tried not to smile in her face as he remembered how much he enjoyed riling her up. Her sarcasm would up a notch along with her fast ramblings of complaints that would follow next.

"I don't know if you have noticed but I am as busy as ever too. I'm not sure if I'll have enough time either you know... I do have numerous business meetings and seminars I'll have to attend this year. So I think for both of our sakes that I will pass this idea of yours and avoid any more headaches."

"You know what? I think I have a better idea than that one."

Sakura dumbfounded stared at him. Had he not heard any word she had just said to him?

He chuckled as he noticed her raised eyebrow and impatient face waiting for his answer. If it still meant the same thing from years ago, it only meant that whatever idea he had better be good or she was out of here. So he quickly added, "and this one you might actually like."

"Really?" she sarcastically asked.

"How about we walk to the café on the corner and just discuss this over a cup of coffee?"

That actually sounded like a good idea to her. She loved coffee and the small café at the corner was a good place to have her morning coffee. She narrowed her eyes, "Are they even open?"

Syaoran looked at his watch which read 5:57 am. Clearly the café around the corner was not open yet but nonetheless he replied, "Yeah… they should be open by now." He turned her around and started walking at her side towards the café direction. "How about a race?"

She smirked, "Ha! Yeah, like I'm going to fall for that one." She noticed him stop walking beside her and turned to see what held him up. His questionable face made her chuckle.

"Why not? I'm being serious."

"Mmm… Well I don't know, let's see... Maybe because you're a soccer player who is used to running all the time? I'm not going to race you to the café at the corner. That's like a hundred meters from here. It is obvious that you'll –" she quickly turned around and dash over towards the café.

"Cheater!" he screamed before sprinting after her laughing inside at the same time. He beat himself up mentally thinking he should've expected that. She had always loved a good competition.

~ o ~

"Yes, that's what we need. Also, I need you to see if we can meet with Joe, I need to discuss something with him. Tell him I can have lunch today," she said while closing her car's door and crossing the street. Her determined steps on her way into the president's office showed renewed confidence even after losing one of the biggest deals for this project. She had already put in motion a backup plan to deal with Mr. Makimasi's absence in the tournament.

She heard Suri's confirmation and hung up the phone while opening the crystal doors of Li Corporation. She could hear her heals each time she took a step on the marbled floor of the reception as she walked straight towards the elevator. Several people greeted her on the way to Xian's office where he had set up a meeting to start about ten minutes ago. By the time she reached his office Xiefa, Yelan, and Xian were already sitting inside his office. She walked towards them and sat right next to Xiefa.

"You're late as usual…" Xiefa commented.

She cleared her throat before calmly saying, "I was taking care of some business." If Xiefa ever found out that she was late because of her dear brother that would definitely be the end of her. But her dear brother was who actually make her start her day in a better mood. She hadn't had one of these mornings in a long time where she got out of running feeling confident and light at the same time. But she wouldn't admit anything out loud. For now on she had to focus on the meeting so, before she could question anything else, Sakura keyed in her iPad's security code to unblock it and look up to let them know she was ready.

Xian nodded. "On to business then. Minerva has taken care of finding us the music equipment we'll be using. Sakura, get in touch with her to let her know which equipment you'll be using for the opener."

She nodded and took note of it before starting talking about her renewed plan. "I wanted to bring this up since Mr. Makimasi won't be working with us. I was thinking of getting some holographic projectors for the main entrance of the field. We could put some live footage in them, not long ones, I was more thinking along the lines of small clips like a goal or a save."

"That's not a bad idea." Xiefa nodded. "We can explain the idea to the different delegations and even ask them to cooperate by sending several clips of what they consider to be their best performance. That way we won't have to spend much time recording players once they reach China."

Sakura nodded. "I think we could increase the marketing of the tournament if we use these projectors. Not to mention the kids will love them and the soccer fans even more. As I was going through the stores the other day I saw one of these projectors and the idea suddenly came to me. We can have two big projectors, one in each side of the entrance, and have one of the projectors showing the clip from team A while the other shows a clip from team B."

"Yelan?" Xian asked.

"I like it." She replied.

Xian nodded and looked back at Sakura. "When you talk to Minerva ask her if she can get a quote on these projectors. I know she is working on the music equipment but she could also take a look into that or point us into the right direction."

Sakura nodded and wrote it down on her iPad.

"Xiefa, how are the hotel arrangements coming along?" Xian asked.

"Three of our hotels are completely booked for July and one of them is the Empire. After the team stayed on Xcape for their friendly match against Italy I guess reservations went off the hook because of the location."

"Does anyone know they are staying in Xcape for the World Cup?" Xian asked.

Xiefa shook her head, "No, but still Empire is one of the closest hotels to Xcape as well as the field. It's a central spot for any soccer fan."

"What about the Villas?" Yelan asked.

Xiefa nodded. "As well. It's completely booked."

Xian nodded. "Good. Make sure to market the rest of our hotels for this tournament."

She nodded, "I'm on it father."

"What about the welcome ceremony at Xcape? Is that taken care off as well?"

Sakura looked through her notes and nodded, "We are still missing a few things. I have the glassware choosing scheduled for next week. Do you want a specialized modification on them?"

"Do you think putting our signature on them would be a good idea?" Xian asked his wife.

"It's a way of marketing our company but I'm not sure if having it on all of the glassware it's a good idea. Maybe for it to look fancier we should leave the glassware without our company's signature and just have a small memorable item with our signature on it for each of the players and staff members attending the ceremony."

He nodded and looked at Sakura to confirm. "Good. Then do that instead. Yelan you're already taking care of all transportation and accommodations for each team so that part is covered as well."

"What will you do with Mr. Makimasi? Will you not say anything about him?" Sakura asked.

He looked at Sakura, "What is there to say? Leave him to me. There's no need to worry about that any longer."

Sakura nodded, "With your permission, I'd like to bring a chef from Japan for the opening banquet."

Yelan looked at her, "Do you have someone in mind?"

"I know a really good chef. He makes the most wonderful desserts. I was thinking we could even use him for the VIP rooms as well."

"Wouldn't it be better to find someone from China?" Xiefa asked. "Many of the chefs in here are good as well."

Sakura smiled, "That's because you haven't tried Yuki's food. I can assure you he won't disappoint us one bit."

"If you're confident in his abilities then speak to him. Let him know we want to try some of his plates so we may consider him." Yelan said.

Sakura nodded. "Very well then. I'll tell Suri to book me a plane ticket for Japan to leave today and bring him over this week."

Xian nodded, "I think we've covered everything in the agenda. We'll meet again next week." He stood up from his desk and grabbed his suitcase. "I have a meeting out of the office. Any new developments call Yelan," he said before leaving his office.

~ o ~

Suri grabbed her desk phone and dialed a familiar number. She waited until the other side responded to say her greetings. "Hi Joe, I'm calling in behalf of Sakura. She needs to meet you. Is there any way I can schedule lunch for today?"

_Mmm, is it really urgent? I have to take care of my nephew today and tonight I leave for Japan. Do you think she can schedule for the weekend?_

"No. According to her calendar she's already booked for the weekend."

_Actually, tell her I can meet with her today but I'll bring my nephew with me. Is there any way she can bring Li with her? My nephew is a big fan of her friend.  
_  
"I'm not sure that'll be possible. Li has his own agent who handles his entire schedule for him Joe."

_Just let her know and text me her answer.  
_  
"Okay. I'll let you know. Thanks." Suri hung up the phone and stared at it. Sometimes she found her job a little tiring even if she knew that working under Sakura was a great opportunity not just anyone had. She sighed before texting Sakura his answer. After hitting the send button she looked up to find the captain of the China team looking at her with a couple of other teammates on his side.

"Are you Suri?" He asked her.

She wearily looked at him and snapped her answer before she could stop it, "Depends on who's asking."

Mark smirked, "We're here for the photo signatures we're supposed to be doing. Our coach has told us to come in groups of four."

She opened her eyes. "Oh! Sorry. Yes I am Suri. Follow me please."

He chuckled. "Sure." He signaled the rest of his teammates to follow him. "Are you always this moody?"

"Not really. Sorry about that. It's just… I'm having one of those days," she said as she showed them towards their conference room. "Say… by any chance is your teammate Li coming in today as well?"

"Don't tell me you're one of his fan girls…" he asked.

She smiled at him, "Would you tell me if he's coming or not today if I say I am?"

He chuckled again and shook his head, "I really don't know how he does it, but you don't seem like the type of person who would fall for his charms."

She didn't answer Mark. Instead she opened the conference room door for them. Several boxes were placed in the long table. "On the table you will find the boxes with the posters inside. Each box has the name of the player it belongs to. You need to sign all the pictures inside them. Also, everyone needs to sign the team pictures." She moved towards the right corner of the conference room where a couple of boxes were placed on the floor. "Those are all in this corner. Sharpies are in the table as you can see. If you need anything, I'll be at my desk," she simply said before leaving them signing the posters.

She walked back to her desk where her phone was ringing and picked it up. "Li Corporation, how can I help you?"

_What do you mean he wants Syaoran to go with me? Did you tell him Syaoran has his own agent?  
_  
"I told him that Syaoran has his own schedule." She heard Sakura sigh on the other side of the phone.

_I need a plane ticket for today. I leave for Japan. Also, let Joe know I'll meet him there.  
_  
"For what time do you need it?"

_Anything after three hours from now is good. I'm heading over to my apartment to set up my bag and leave for the airport. Text me the details once you find it.  
_  
"Another thing, some of the guys are here signing the posters so I'm taking care of that."

_Good! Perfect. Make sure to tell their coach that all of them must have those posters signed by the end of this week. Also, the France agent called saying they'll be here in three weeks to start practicing. Make sure the printing company has their posters ready by then.  
_  
"Okay, on it!"

Suri hung up the phone and looked up again to find Mark smirking in front of her yet again. "Can I help you?"

"Is this why you need to know about Li?"

"You know… is not a good thing to eavesdrop on people you just met."

He smiled and casually sat in the corner of her desk, "So you're not part of his fan club?"

She crossed her hands on her chest. "Much less to judge people you barely know."

"Well, I can fix that. Give me your phone number."

She raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me?"

"Give me your phone number so I may get to know you better."

She scoffed, "Are all soccer players this arrogant?"

"Ah… so now who's the one judging?" He smirked.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Do you need anything that has to do with the poster signing?"

He chuckled, "Do you want us to put the posters back in their box or do you want us to leave them on the table?"

"No, please put it back on their respective boxes."

"Sure, no problem," he said and winked her way before walking back towards the conference room.

She looked at his retrieving back. 'What the heck just happened?' she thought before turning towards her computer and search for Sakura's plane ticket.

~ o ~

Sakura went straight to her apartment after the meeting and started packing up for her trip to Japan. A small bag was splattered open in the middle of her bed while she picked two outfits from her closet. She folded them nicely before setting them down on the bag. Then, out of her drawers she picked the rest of the clothing she needed for her trip. Since she was only going for a few days she decided to just take enough for two entire days just in case but she was flying in today and leaving tomorrow at night. That would give her enough time to come back to China and prepare for the famous cabin weekend she had been dragged to by none other than her friend Meiling. She could still remember the discussion she had with Jun about this one.

_"Why this weekend Sakura? You know I have to go to Shanghai till Saturday. I mean, can't they do it next weekend? Or better yet, just do it Friday thru Sunday. Why must it be since Thursday?"_

_She put her book down and watched from the bed as her boyfriend paced around the room and ran his hands through his hair. She had just told him about the trip and obviously he wasn't taking the news too well. "Baby, they start practices next week. They probably want to spend as much time as possible in a calm refreshing environment before starting with their hectic schedules once again."_

_He stopped and defiantly looked at her. "Fine, then don't go. You're not in a too hectic schedule that you need an entire weekend away, specially starting Thursday. Is it too important that you go?"_

_"That's not fair Jun. I already said I was going. You told me you didn't have anything this weekend so I just agreed with it. It's not my fault that now you have this last minute trip to Shanghai."_

_"So, you'll go without me. Typical." He exasperatedly threw his hands in the air and turned around while pacing in the room._

_"This isn't the first time I have stayed in places without you Jun. I don't see how this is any different. You can just catch us there when you get back."_

_"Oh, off course. You know, I don't mind your independence Sakura but honestly you're going to tell me you don't see a problem to going away for the weekend since Thursday and spending two days with your ex-boyfriend while your real boyfriend is away?"_

_"Honestly, no! I don't see any problem with that. I believe I was very clear to you when I told you nothing is going on between me and Syaoran."_

_"That's not the point!"_

_"Really…? Because as far as I'm concerned you're been irrational about this."_

_"This is not about jealousy Sakura. Don't you think that out of respect you should at least wait for me before heading over?"_

_She was pissed. She got out of bed and started to walk towards the bathroom but before getting in she turned to face him again, "You know, perhaps if it wasn't because of your overreaction to this whole situation I would have at least given you that. But your reasons are not good enough. You can meet us there on Saturday if you still want to go. I'm going on Thursday." With that said she walked into the bathroom and shut the door.  
_  
Sakura sighed. She had known breaking the news of the invitation to Jun wasn't going to be easy but she was actually looking forward to staying an entire weekend out of the office for once. She was packing her last minute clothing when the bell to her apartment notified her of a visitor. She went to the door and opened it. All she felt was a strong embrace from the person that came to visit her before finally seeing the face of Syaoran's youngest sister in front of her.

Sakura smiled, "Feimei! When did you get in?"

From the looks of her appearance she could tell it wasn't long ago but she still asked. Her long light brown hair was held in a messy bun that clearly screamed last minute fix while her casual graphic shirt and light blue jeans gave the appearance of someone who had just landed not too long ago. Out of all of Syaoran's sisters, Feimei was her favorite. She was the most carefree when it came to thinking about her own future.

When she first met Feimei seven years ago she was only fifteen and going through a rough time having her first relationship breakup. At the time, Sakura could identify with her and so as both of them found things they could relate to they became really good friends. By that time, Sakura also found out how her brother's decision to leave China had affected her. Growing up with the almost absence of her father in the house, Syaoran had been like a hero to her until he decided to leave for Japan. And yet, after he left, she had been able to develop her own persona and pull through those difficult teenage years.

Feimei squealed and warmly hugged Sakura. "My flight landed two hours ago. I'm so excited!" She invited herself in, no surprise as to whom she learned that from, and threw her purse on the couch.

"I see! How long will you be staying for?" Sakura closed the door.

She thought about it before saying, "Oh, I'm not sure yet."

"Mmm, that doesn't sound like an assistant schedule to me. So, are you going to give me good news?"

Feimei chuckled. "I just got my first assigned project and that IS really good news. You are looking at the new project manager for the new convention center downtown."

Sakura excitedly hugged her again. "That's great Feimei. Congratulations!"

"Thank you! I know! We need to celebrate this."

Sakura nodded and walked towards her kitchen. She opened a bottle of red wine, poured two glasses, and handled her one. "So, what's the estimated time for the project development?"

"Well, I'm not sure yet. I will probably need to leave town to start negotiations later on but I still don't have a specific date. We'll be having a meeting tomorrow to discuss the budget and probably the timeline."

"I hear you. That's really great. I mean, you just started in this company seven months ago and you already have your own project. Wow." Sakura brought her glass up and nodded her toast. She took a sip from her wine cup before coming to the question that worried her the most when Feimei was involved, "So, now to my second question, which I am absolutely sure you knew it was coming but, have you talked to your brother lately?"

Feimei sighed, "Sakura, don't spoil this for me."

"Feimei, you need to talk to him. I am very happy for you about your first project but your other news aren't so easy to hide and I am pretty sure Syaoran won't take them too lightly. Now, it's better if he finds out from you before it's too late."

"I know…" Feimei sighed, "Look, mother tells me you guys are going to the cabin this weekend. I promise you next week I'll talk to him."

Sakura nodded, "Good. Now, when are you finally going to move in with us here at the company?"

Feimei smiled, "You know I can't do that. I just got my first break of being a project manager in Saki, Inc. I doubt I'll be going anywhere now. Besides, I never saw myself as walking behind your shoes or my sister's for that matter…" she said rolling her eyes. It wasn't that she didn't love her big sister but in her opinion she felt like her sister had become some sort of family puppet. Once her father decided to retire it was most probable that Xiefa would take his place and stay with the company. It was one of the reasons why she decided to go her own way and follow her brother's footsteps instead.

Sakura chuckled.

Feimei took another sip from her wine before looking around the apartment. "Ah… where are you going this time?"

"Japan. World Cup recruit."

Feimei chuckled. "Oh, you must be happy. Recruiting is one of the best parts of this profession," she sarcastically said.

"Right… you say it and have no idea yet but you will." Sakura put her glass up once again. "Here is to you and your much awaited promotion finally arriving."

"Actually, I want to add something to that toast." Feimie said.

"Okay." Sakura casually answered and waited for her to continue.

"To old flames never dying." Feimei put her glass up and drank from her cup. She waited for Sakura to drink from her cup too before quickly finishing her thought, "I hope you hook up with my brother over the weekend."

Sakura almost spit back out her toast but quickly drowned it before saying, "Feimei, that's not very nice. I can't toast to that."

"Oh, sure you can. At least do it for fun. You can look at it this way... you would be helping out a friend."

Sakura scoffed, "How am I helping out a friend by hooking up with your brother Feimei? Only you and your twisted mind can actually see an opportunity out of something that doesn't even exist anymore."

"Sure you are! That way when I talk to him he will peacefully agree with me and I won't have anything to worry about."

Sakura shook her head and chuckled. "Only you really…" Out of all of Syaoran's sisters Feimei was the most optimistic and funny of them. Those who didn't know her well could easily pass her off as a flirt. Her natural cheery style gave her father headaches during her younger years since she attracted a lot of guy's attention with it. As she kept growing, her father became more and more protective of her or, as Feimei would call it, overprotective of her. Another reason as to why she decided to follow Syaoran's example and as soon as she graduated high school she decided to study in a university far from home.

"Oh come on Sakura, everyone knows Syaoran is still gaga over you. Whatever you say can have that man doing your bidding anyway you want it."

Sakura rolled her eyes, "Well then in that case I'll let you know that you're in for a hard fall. I'm not hooking up with your brother over this weekend and you will talk to him if you really care for whatever happens to your boyfriend from now on."

Feimei chuckled but still nodded. "Fine you spoil fun. I was going to talk to Syaoran anyways next week."

"Just a little tip, I suggest you talk to him before practices start. Just, you know, give him a little time to digest the news…"

Feimei rolled her eyes, "I will! Don't worry." She smiled and drank from her glass still thinking that her idea of them hooking up would definitely be better than talking to her brother like he was right now but she kept her thoughts to herself this time.

~ o ~

"Aw come on babe, you've tried eleven pieces already!"

"I'm almost done! Just have a few left." She said loudly from the dressing room while looking at the other seven pieces that she had yet to try and smirked. After seeing the last Cosmo magazine she decided she needed to buy a new bathing suit. According to her, and the magazine off course, orange had officially just turned a color of last season. She adjusted the top part of the new bikini she was trying on. "Okay, coming out!"

He hated accompanying Meiling shopping. Actually in his opinion the word hate didn't do justice on how he really felt whenever she would drag him to the mall. "Weren't you here with Sakura and Tomoyo a couple of days ago?"

She walked out with the bikini number twelve and modeled it to her boyfriend. "Yeah but your my boyfriend. I thought you would enjoy this more than them. So what do you think? Does it make me look fat?"

He rolled his eyes and sighed, "Meiling, you're not fat and you won't look fat in any of these bikinis."

She turned to look at the mirror on the hallway, "you're only saying that because you're my boyfriend."

"No. I'm saying that because you're a six and that's skinny enough." He sighed. It always worried him whenever they had to have this talk. Her stupid profession always tried to push her to be skinnier than she was so he had to be careful about what he said. She was specifically very sensitive about this topic.

She kept looking at the mirror but went back to her dressing room after a couple of turns and said loudly, "I don't like it."

He sighed and waited for her to change once more into another piece of bathing suit. He watched her walk out again with a blue one and asked, "Do you like that one?"

"I don't know. I don't think so." She said still looking at the mirror.

He rolled his eyes trying to hold his anxiety in. "Why don't you like that one?"

"Mmm…" she looked herself on the mirror, "Don't you find it too plain?"

"It looks good to me."

She half turned in front of the mirror so she could see how it fitted from another point of view and shook her head. "No." She walked back into the dressing room.

Kyu covered his face with both of his hands. How much more of this he had to take? "Meiling, baby, just pick the one you like the most. They all look good on you!"

She quickly walked out of the dressing room wearing another bikini and put her right arm on her hip. "You mean to tell me you don't like one of them better than the others?"

He quickly dropped his hands and stare at her. Mistake number one… never tell her all of the bathing suits look the same on her. "No! I mean I liked the red one."

She narrowed her eyes at him, "Which one? I modeled for you three and you didn't say anything."

'Crap!' He quickly thought how to get out of this one. 'Come on, think!' He thought about the red bathing suits before saying, "The one with the flaky stuff on the bottom."

She looked at him surprised, "How could you like that one? I didn't like it. I looked chubby on it."

He sighed, stood up from the small couch, and walked towards her. "Baby," he hugged her from behind making sure she could clearly see him in the mirror as he spoke, "you're not fat so stop. I love you the way you are. And even if you were fat, I would still love you the same."

She loved whenever he talked to her like that. It made her heart jump from emotion. She smiled, "Are you sure you're not saying that just to get me into your bed mister?"

He chuckled and smirked, "Could be. Still, get the red bathing suit and let's get out of here." He kissed her neck as she smiled nodding and left him to change.

~ o ~

The next day, Xiefa as usual arrived at Li Corporation. She walked out of the elevator with the intention of getting to her office when something on the corner of her eyes caught her attention. She stopped as she watched her dear brother flirting with one of the receptionist in the floor and raised her brow. Since when was her brother so interested in one of the receptionist in her office floor? This wasn't the first time he had been flirting with that same girl. She had known about the time when he had come to speak to their father. But it wasn't until his third glance towards Sakura's dark office that she finally figured out his little game.

She smirked as she walked towards her dear brother. The girl laughed at something he said but stopped immediately after seeing Xiefa stand right next to Syaoran with her hand on her hip and not looking very pleasant at the moment. "She already left if you must know."

Syaoran looked at his sister and decided to play dumb with her, "What are you talking about? I'm just talking to this lovely lady here." He looked back at the girl and winked at her.

Xiefa scoffed and smirked, "Off course you are. Just thought I'd save you some time by just letting you know that she's not coming back today. She's in Japan, but in any case you're really here for this girl then just get her phone number and decide to flirt with her out of office hours. You don't want to cause her to lose her job for flirting with the president's son, now do you…?"

The girl quickly looked down and started writing something on her computer. Syaoran looked at his sister and narrowed his eyes at her. "Do you treat everyone the same way?"

"Oh don't get me wrong, all this talking was for you. I still haven't started with her." Xiefa turned around and decided to continue on her way towards her destination before it was interrupted by her brother. She felt Syaoran following her and confirmed it once he closed the door to her office after getting inside.

"Really, there's no need to scare her like that," he simply said.

Xiefa turned around and crossed her hands in her chest, "Don't you ever get tired of looking for Sakura in the office?"

He decided to ignore her question, "You don't have to fire the girl. Everything was my fault."

"Syaoran," she put a hand up to stop him from continuing, "spare me your apologies. I am one hundred percent sure that you know that every time you walk into this building almost every girl falls head over heels for you. That also means that whoever you pick to be your next victim would gladly flirt back with you. So, it may have been your fault but they are equally guilty of letting themselves be caught up flirting with you during office hours."

He looked at his sister. There really was no way of fooling her. "I won't do it again. Please don't fire her."

"Isn't it better to just ask Suri if Sakura is coming?" she smirked. She loved to torture her little brother.

Syaoran narrowed his eyes at her and turned his head. He hated having to admit something on his personal life and much more when it was to Xiefa. "Suri is not even on her desk."

Xiefa smiled, "Right… Maybe Suri already woke up from her little daydream of flirting with you…"

He took a deep breath annoyed at the fact that Xiefa would probably not let him off this one and looked at his sister's satisfying face, "I need to speak with Sakura."

Xiefa scoffed and smiled. "You do know that Sakura has a boyfriend."

He was growing anxious with his annoying sister's questions, "What does that has to do with any of this? I just need to speak with her."

Xiefa smiled knowingly, "Sakura's in Japan for today. She'll be back tomorrow so whatever you wish to know from her you can ask tomorrow."

"Fine." He turned around to leave but before leaving he turned around towards his sister, "Please don't fire the girl."

Xiefa scoffed pleased that he was feeling a little remorse after her words earlier, "I'll think about it."

Syaoran turned around and left her office pretty certain that his sister wouldn't fire the girl. After all, the way things were looking in the building his sister was way too busy to have time to interview a new receptionist.

As he was walking down the hallway from his sister's office he watched Suri returning towards her desk while talking animatedly with one of her coworkers with a bottle of water in hand and a sandwich in the other. He waited until she got to her desk and the coworker walked away to approach her.

She set several documents that were on top of her desk to one side and tried to clear as much as possible her desk before finally sitting down. She was about to open her sandwich when she spotted Syaoran walking towards her and frowned. "You're here again?"

Syaoran made sure that only Suri was able to hear him before replying to her, "Look I'm sorry if I was a jerk to you before."

"You're apologizing? Oh, wait! You should have said that after I ate so that at least I may die in complete peace."

'What is this? Is every woman in here on their period or something?' He thought while staring at her not too fondly of her answer but nonetheless he politely told her, "I need to speak to Sakura. Can you please tell her to come see me when she gets in tomorrow?"

Syaoran looked at Suri who in turned decided to slowly start to show the beginning of a smile. But it wasn't a normal happy smile, no! It was more like one of those smiles people usually use when they were about to get their vengeance on someone. In fact, it reminded him of the times Sakura would usually use it whenever she was about to get her way with him in the past. He found it amusing that out of all the things Suri could learn from Sakura she would learn this.

"I guess you need my help in getting in touch with Sakura? Let's see." She placed aside her lunch and opened a calendar on her computer. "I must tell you she is very busy all this week and most of next week as well. The closest appointment I may schedule for you may be in three weeks. Would that be okay with you?"

He stared at her pondering which way to act. His little flirting wouldn't work on her anymore and his sister had made it perfectly clear that she would fire any girl who would flirt with him back. So he had no choice but to try to deal with Suri in the calmest possible way especially if she had also acquire part of Sakura's bad mood. "Suri I just need to see her. It's really important. Please just tell her to contact me when she gets in."

"Is this urgent? If it is then just tell me what's about and I'll text her."

He took a deep breath but said, "If I wanted to text her I would have already done it. I just need to speak with her personally."

She watched that he was at least been polite and decided to give in. "Fine. I'll let her know you came by and asked for her when she gets in."

"Thank you." He said relieved that at least Suri would tell her. "Enjoy your meal. I need to run. See you later," he said before walking away leaving her to her lunch.

~ o ~

She walked inside the unforgettable café. Pictures of the owner along with famous people that had visited the café were still hanging on the walls. He was wearing casual attire in most of his pictures as the people that knew him knew he was a very easy going, friendly, and social person. His bright smile hadn't changed with the years. Yuki had become a friend of them back then. She really enjoyed coming to this place when she was in high school.

She kept looking around at some of the new pictures on the wall till she saw one that made her smile. Syaoran, Eriol, Kyu, and Takashi were all smiling brightly at the camera as if no care in the world could've changed their mood. She remembered the moment quite well.

_"Sakura… you're cheating baby!"_

_She rolled her eyes at him and chuckled, "Oh please Syaoran. You're only saying that because I am beating you at this game."_

_They were playing a Spanish card game in one of the tables. He was straddling a chair in front of her while she simply thought about which card she would use to beat him. Her calmness in playing the game and her way of stalling was something that would always unnerved Syaoran. And yet she loved to see him agitated whenever she waited to make a move. It always gave her control of the game._

_"Babe, just play a card."_

_"No! This requires strategy thinking." She quickly said._

_He rolled her eyes at her and scoffed, "Come on, you're going to tell me you still don't have a strategy? How much time do you need?"_

_"Oh, stop your whining. I can't think clearly."_

_"Syaoran!"_

_He looked behind Sakura and saw Kyu approaching with Meiling on hand._

_Kyu smirked, "Don't you ever get tired of losing against Sakura at this game?"_

_Meiling laughed as Syaoran threw a murderous gaze directed towards her boyfriend. Sakura took the chance to play her card and won the hand._

_"Shut up Kyu!" he said as he watched her play a new card._

_"You're asking the wrong person Kyu." Eriol chuckled from the side. He was playing darts against Takashi on the side while waiting for Kyu to arrive. "You should actually ask Sakura if she doesn't get tired of beating Xiaolang at this."_

_Kyu chuckled as Syaoran lost yet another hand and sighed._

_"Wow Sakura… you're really good at this!" Chiharu said from the chair next to her._

_She chuckled, "Either that or my boyfriend is really bad at it."_

_They all laughed at her comment._

_A young man around the age of twenty 24 with black hair approached the table with a plate on one hand and a tray with several beverages on the other. He placed the plate on Sakura's side and smirked. "You should have seen the last game… It was almost a flawless victory," he added while putting the drinks down on their table._

_"Thanks Yuki! You too? Need I remind you that you still don't have my picture on that wall?" Syaoran asked. Since Yuki had pictures of every famous person that would visit his store on the walls, he had been asking for a long time to take a picture with the guys to add to his collection._

_"Hey, is not my fault that you still haven't given up," he said while putting his hands up to defend himself._

_Sakura chuckled while getting a dango from the plate. She savored the sweet dessert on her mouth. In her life she had tried this dessert in several restaurants yet none where so good as Yuki's. "Mmm these are so good Yuki."_

_"Why thank you, I'm glad you like them," he politely said. "And now that Syaoran mentioned it, boys don't forget about my picture."_

_"You're still on with that Yuki?" Kyu asked. He hated taking pictures. For him it was a monotonous way of spending time. Worst when it involved women behind the camera. They took forever to be satisfied with a simple picture._

_"Hey, I need one before you guys graduate and leave this place."_

_"I'll tell you what Yuki, if you bring me one more of these I'm going to make a deal with Syaoran right now." She looked at her boyfriend and smirked. "If I beat you in this game you have to take a picture with Yuki." His narrowed eyes gave her the satisfaction of knowing that this was indeed annoying him. He hated taking pictures as well and she knew this well enough to take advantage of the situation._

_"Really?" Yuki looked from Sakura to Syaoran._

_"You know he's going to be famous one day. It's better to secure a picture now before it's too late, wouldn't you agree?"_

_"Well, I'm not too sure you're boyfriend likes the idea," Yuki slowly said a little intimidated by Syaoran's mood._

_"Oh nonsense!" Sakura turned her gaze from Yuki to Syaoran and smiled. She knew she had already won this battle but just in case and knowing he could never back down from a challenge, she confidently added, "Unless you think I'm too much for you on this…?"_

_He scoffed. "Five hands, the one with the highest points wins."_

_"Ooooh this has just gotten interesting." Tomoyo said while grabbing a chair from the side to enjoy the little challenge._

_"Yuki, you might want to start looking for a place to hang this picture." Meiling smirked._

_"Don't listen to her Xiaolang. You can do this man!" Kyu cheered him from the side._

_Yuki smirked, "Trust me, I already have it."_

_The girls laughed while the guys started to give support to Syaoran. He grabbed all of the cards and shuffled them before dealing the cards to each other. "Ladies first..."_

_Sakura took her three cards from in front of her and looked at them calmly. The trump card was swords and in her hand she had the king of swords card, the number two gold card, and the seven gold card. She started by playing one of her gold cards, the two._

_Syaoran smirked while throwing the number ten of gold and taking the first hand. The guys all cheered for him as he took another card from the stack in the middle and waited for her to take one as well. He threw the stick knight and waited for her to play._

_She looked at him and tried to analyze his move. Why would he throw a knight? The card was worth three points. She looked at her cards again and decided to take his knight by dealing her king of swords card. The girls cheered while she took her new card from the middle stack. She got the Ace of Swords but didn't give him any indication that would make him think he had lost already. She threw the seven of gold and waited for him._

_He smirked again and threw the three of gold which was worth ten points to take the hand. "Do you still think you should've challenged me baby?"_

_"I've actually never seen you so close to winning Syaoran," Eriol commented._

_He scoffed and took his next card. He threw the ten of sticks and waited for Sakura's move. She threw the four of sticks and he arrogantly smiled thinking that he had beaten her for the first time in this game. He took his last card and threw the three of swords. "It's over baby!"_

_She looked at him and smirked, "You're right," she said before throwing the Ace of swords and arrogantly looking at him._

_He stared at her card on the table. She had just won 21 points in just one hand. How was that even possible? He was winning this game!_

_"I believe you owe Yuki a picture," she confidently said before adding, "Baby!"_

_The girls cheered on as well as Yuki while the rest of the guys where all astounded._

_"You know what? I think all of you should take a picture with Yuki." Meiling said._

_Kyu quickly looked at her, "What? Why should we all pay for Syaoran's loss?"_

_"Weren't you cheering for him?"_

_"A deal is a deal. Come on Yuki, let's all take your picture." Syaoran stood up from his chair and stretched. "I promise to come back once I sign my first professional contract to sign this picture as well."_

_Yuki smiled, "Can't say no to that!"_

_They all got behind the bar with Yuki in the middle and with their hands around their shoulders smiled brightly towards Tomoyo's camera.  
_  
She remembered they were all in grade eleventh back then.

"Well, well, well, look who we have here? Sakura?"

She smiled at him and gave him a hug, "It's been a long time Yuki."

He laughed at her words, "Long time indeed. I thought I wouldn't get to see you again. How are things going with you?"

"I'm pretty good. Busy and working hard."

Yuki chuckled, "Well, I see some things haven't changed."

She nodded towards the picture, "I see you finally got their signatures on this picture."

He looked at the picture and smiled. "They all came one by one after signing their professional contract to sign this picture just like they promised. Ah, it seems like it was only yesterday you were all in here."

She sadly smiled but didn't say anything to his comment.

"Would you be having the same as always? What was it…? Ah, tea with sweet soy sauce dango?"

She sighed and nodded. After a couple of minutes he came back with her order plus a tea for himself and sat with her.

"It's amazing what you have done with this place. It just keeps growing and growing and yet the atmosphere feels the same."

"Ah yes, though I must say the company has changed. Once in a while a group of kids will come in to have fun and socialize but I still haven't seen one like yours so carefree and playfully irritating."

She smiled, "Is that so?"

He fixed his glasses and added, "Which is why it surprised me when the news came in that you had left Japan."

She sighed and looked down at her plate. Taking a stick of dango in her hands she took a bite of one of the rice balls. "Mmm I've missed this."

"I must say, he wasn't the same either."

"Sometimes people need a change of scenery to be able to grow up."

He nodded while drinking his tea, "You're right. He did grow up, just not in a good way."

She took a sip from her tea and another bite of her dango. "I don't see how you can say that. He seemed fine to me the last time I saw him."

He was surprised by her comment. "Have you talked to him?"

She nodded, "It so happens that I have to work with him for a couple of months."

"He lost the Asia Junior Cup tournament that year along with many other things."

"I think we both suffered a lot but I really don't want to talk about it."

"He still loves you."

She smiled, "I have a boyfriend now."

He slowly took a sip of his coffee before saying, "And you still love him. Otherwise why else would you come here…?"

"Actually, I came for another reason. I need a dessert chef for a ceremony and a VIP room. The first person that popped into my head was you."

He frowned, "Is it for a project you're working on?"

She nodded, "The World Cup."

He was surprise at the mention of the event, "I thought for the World Cup only people from China could work on it."

"Not in this case. I have the liberty of choosing the people that will work with me."

He widened his eyes but then smiled, "You've always known how to play your cards."

She chuckled and looked at the plate in front of her, "Your dango is one of the best in the world. It would be a shame if other people couldn't taste it. I still haven't forgotten about these. It's also a good way of promoting your business too."

"I need to think about this."

She frowned.

Her face made him chuckled, "I've never taken my food outside of Japan."

She nodded, "Think about it but I need an answer by this week. All of your expenses will be paid. Whatever you need you just need to mention it and it will be taken care of. I already spoke to my boss about you and they want to meet you this week if you decide to do this. The dessert chef is the only one I have left to fill."

He nodded.

A couple of minutes later the door to the café opened and in came her date for today wearing jeans and a casual simple white t-shirt. Joe smiled as he looked at her and walked towards her table. She stood up and greeted him with a kiss in each cheek before sitting down again on her seat. He took the sit in front of her and smiled. "How have you been?"

She smiled back at him, "Good. I must say I should thank you right now."

Joe frowned, "What for?"

"For agreeing to meet with me here. I haven't had one of these in years." She said while savoring her last bite.

Joe looked at her plate and then returned his gaze towards her face, "You're making me want to ask for one of those."

Sakura laughed, "You should then." She looked towards Yuki, "Do you mind bringing my friend here a dango as well?"

Yuki smiled, "Not at all." He stood up and quickly went towards the kitchen.

"Mind if I ask you who is he?"

She shook her head, "He's the owner of this place. He does these amazing desserts they're to die for."

He laughed at her comment, "It looks like you've been here before."

She nodded but only said, "I used to come here when I was in high school," and hoped he would drop the conversation. She hated talking about her past and much more when it was so closed to hitting the spot where Syaoran was concerned. She decided to drop the subject here before it was too late, "I wanted to speak to you about this new idea we have for the tournament. We still don't know for sure if we'll be able to pull this through but, just in case, do you think you can modify footage to be in a holographic format? Like putting several pictures or even small videos of specific plays for short periods of time? We are trying to get some equipment that could let us present short repetitive films in front of the field."

He looked up in a thoughtful way, "Well, I would have to see and ask around. I've never heard about doing that." He looked towards her again, "I mean you could easily put a projector with a wall behind it to do it for you."

She shook her head, "No, we're looking more for a holographic way of displaying the plays or pictures. Kind of have that live feeling when you see it outside."

He nodded, "I see. Well, I'm not too sure if there is but I'll find out and let you know."

She nodded, "Thanks Joe."

"So, are you Sakura's lovely new boyfriend?" asked Yuki who came in with Joe's plate and set it down in front of him.

Sakura laughed, "Oh, sorry I didn't introduced you guys earlier. Yuki this is Joe. He's my graphic artist and currently working with me on the tournament photos and videos for the various athletes. Joe, this is Yuki the owner of this café."

They both shook hands in front of her, "So, this is not the lucky guy then?" Yuki asked.

Joe grabbed a bite of the dessert, "Mmm… you're right. These are wonderful!"

Sakura chuckled and shook her head. She was about to answer his question and clarify his confusion when the door opened and in came a customer for Yuki that caught her attention. Wearing a tight but casual white knee length dress with polka dots and high tan heels that made her looked like a complete model was a woman she had seen before. Images of her red lips laughing as she openly flirted with Syaoran the night they had all went for Mark's birthday came flooding to her mind.

Katherine looked towards her left and the sight before her surprised her. On a table not too far from her Sakura Kinomoto was sitting with none other than Joe, the photographer who was lucky enough to have shot the pictures of Syaoran for the tournament. She faked a smile and walked towards them. She approached the table and nicely said, "Well, fancy finding you here. What a coincidence."

Sakura could see through her small façade and her fake greeting but nonetheless she smiled at her as well, "Katherine was it?"

She nodded and quickly turned her gaze to Joe. "I'm actually glad to find you here. I was wondering if we could get some pictures of Li from you. I've heard you were the photographer who took the shots for the Kahi tournament and wanted to ask if you had any you could spare."

Sakura frowned and asked, "Do you mind me asking if there is a specific reason why you need pictures of Syaoran?"

Katherine didn't miss the way Sakura used his first name but arrogantly smiled at her and said, "Well, our network has agreed on doing a personal shoot on him. We'll be airing a one hour special in a couple of weeks and having some of these pictures would help immensely."

"I believe that all of the reporters for the tournament were already chosen and yet I don't remember seeing your name among them." Sakura simply said.

"This interview is not for the tournament. It's an outside interview already approved by his manager. We want this little project to include things from his past. Things that no other channel has aired before like parts of his past that shows the beginning of that great player he is today."

Sakura smiled and sighed, "So you came here to find Joe?"

She shook her head, "Actually no! I came here to speak to the owner of this place. I heard that Li signed his first professional picture to this person so I'm assuming the owner must've known Li pretty well during his high school years. Finding Joe in here was just a benefit."

Sakura froze at her words but tried to hide it. Doing a shoot on Li would most likely mean that these reporters would probably try to dig information from his past… information that could eventually lead to her. No… Information that would definitely lead to her. She looked at Yuki and tried to silently pass a message to him to please not say anything. She felt relieved when he simply looked at her and nodded.

"Well, I'm sorry but I'll have to decline that request." Joe said. "I'm under contract. My pictures are strictly for the tournament. In any case, I believe Sakura would be the one you should be talking to if you wish to use any of them."

Katherine looked from Joe to Sakura, "I see."

Sakura quickly stood up from the table and grabbed her purse. "I believe this conversation is over then. If you need the pictures I will need a written request so I may run it with the president though I may not assure you anything. He's been really busy these days."

Katherine faked another smiled and nodded before turning towards Yuki. "So, can you tell me who the owner is?"

"Lady, you're looking at him."

She dropped her fake smile and simply said, "Oh! Sorry. Well, can you spare a couple of minutes to talk to me about this picture?"

He smiled at her, "Sure, come right this way." After letting her walk in front of him he quickly turned back towards Sakura and winked at her. She smiled and silently thanked him for his silence as she placed the cash to pay for her bill on the table. "Well, I must go. My flight leaves in an hour. I'll see you in China."

Joe nodded. "I'll let you know if I find something on the projector."

"Thanks Joe!" She smiled and turned around. Once she was out of the restaurant she quickly took her phone out and speed dialed her office. "Suri, get me Xiefa on the phone."

I believe she's in a meeting.

"Now," she simply said as she got into her rental car. A couple of minutes later Xiefa came into the phone.

_This better be good Sakura. You know mother hates when meetings are interrupted._

"We have a problem. Aki Networks is doing a piece on Syaoran."

_What do you mean? Aki is not part of the networks approved to do interviews for the tournament. You know that! And if they are, we can easily ban it. Now, is that all?  
_  
"Is not on the tournament Xiefa, is on your brother."  
_  
Are you certain? How do you know this?_

"I coincidentally just found Katherine digging information on him here in Japan. She says she has his manager's approval for it." She quickly said. Her voice was already betraying her nerves already of what all of this could mean. "Xiefa –"  
_  
I know, calm down. I'll deal with this.  
_  
That was the last she heard from Xiefa before turning her car on and driving towards the airport.

~ o ~

After four hours of flight, she was finally back in China. She had tried to sleep a little on the flight since Jun was probably waiting for her in the apartment but her mind wouldn't let her be at peace. Between the tournament and this little new development of her life been in jeopardy of being exposed to the public eye, she spent the entire flight thinking about different ways she could stop the special feature on Syaoran from hitting the TV screens.

She took her car keys out of her purse and opened the trunk to put the small bag in it. After putting her bag down, she took her cell phone out of her purse and dialed his phone number.

_Hey, you're back!_

She got into her car and closed the door. "We need to talk."

_Sakura, it's one in the morning. Don't you think it's better if we talk tomorrow?  
_  
"Meet me at the park in twenty." With that said she hanged up the phone and drove towards the park. She arrived a little early and waited for him. She had already called Jun to let him know she had arrived safely but had to take care of some business before arriving at the apartment. It wasn't that she didn't trusted Xiefa with the matter, it was more the fact that she knew Xiefa wouldn't go directly to the source on this and Xiaolang would probably ignore her on this matter with the excuse that she was butting on his life. She saw his car approaching and got out of her car to wait for him.

He parked next to her car and got out. It was obvious Sakura had waked him up as he was wearing his sweats and a sleeveless tank just the same attire she found him on the night she went to get the contract signed. Needless to say that out of the shower or out of bed he still looked as handsome as ever but Sakura reminded herself that she was here on a mission.

"Do you care to tell me what's so important that can't wait until tomorrow?" he simply asked.

"On my trip to Japan I had the displeasure of meeting one of your acquaintances. Did you honestly approve a special feature done on you?"

He stared at her analyzing how to carefully proceed with the subject. By the looks of Sakura's face he could pretty much deduct she was pissed about the whole thing. And dealing with a pissed off Sakura in the middle of the night was never good. "Do you regret being with me?" he asked her.

"No. But that doesn't change how I feel about this right now."

He nodded and sighed, "I tried to find you to run it by you first but Xiefa told me you had already left for Japan. I left a message with Suri but you didn't answer and Choi needed an answer yesterday."

She was surprised by his answer and quite frankly a little disappointed as well. "So you said yes… You didn't even consider that you might drag me into this whole media craziness with your answer?"

He sighed, "Is not even certain that you'll be involved in this at all Sakura."

"Xiaolang! I have been your only girlfriend since high school. Do you honestly think that no one will find out about that? That reporters wouldn't be digging for that sort of information?"

He threw his hands in the air and casually said, "Well, so what if they find out Sakura? That was seven years ago and you're obviously with someone else now so I don't see why you are so worried about this."

She shook her head, "You know, you may not notice but not everyone likes to be a public figure. I still like my privacy just the way it is right now."

"A lot of reporters have done these interviews on me before and your name has never been revealed in any of them. But, if the case is that they do find out then I think the best thing would be to just agree with it. The more you deny things, the worst it gets. So I'll just go along with it."

"Do you think it's wise to simply agree with this?"

He nodded, "Trust me. It was seven years ago Sakura and you have someone. If they ask you, just agree to it and keep moving on with Jun."

She scoffed.

"What?"

For a moment she stopped being mad at him and said, "That's the first time you call him by his name. What, ran out of options?"

He smirked, "Don't tempt me. I can easily find another name for him."

She went back to being pissed with him for the whole interview issue, "To tell you the truth, I was actually surprised to see your blond friend stating she got your approval for the interview."

"Why? Because I didn't give the exclusive to one of your reporters?"

"No! Because last time I checked there's no I on team. I'll see you tomorrow."

He sighed and put both of his hands in his pockets as he watched her get into her car and drive off. She was still pissed, he knew that much. Usually it could last a day or perhaps a couple of days depending on how truly angry she was, but that wasn't why he was feeling guilty right now. It was more the hurt he saw on her eyes when he told her that he had agreed to this whole interview thing what brought the remorse back to his mind. He needed to fix this.

**Author note:** Well, here's chapter 6. Hope you guys liked it. Thanks to all of you who have reviewed my past chapters. It truly helps me to continue with this story. So please read and review this one as well as I like to know what you guys think about each chapter.


	7. Chapter 7 - Until When

_**"Find someone who knows you're sad just by the change in your voice. Be with someone who loves the feature that you hate the most. Fall in love with someone who looks at you and knows they don't want anyone else." – Unknown**_****

**Chapter 7  
"Until When…"**

Sakura opened her car trunk and waited for Wei to take out her bag. Even though they would only be staying four days in Li's cabin she had to use her medium size travel bag to fit everything she was taking with her. Between cosmetics, her clothing, bathing suits and her oh-so-lovable munchies she could pass off her bag as fully prepared for the entire weekend. Wei took her bag out of her car and passed it to Syaoran's trunk.

She went over towards her bag and quickly took out a bag of chips and hid it in her purse. Munchies were very important for the road trip ahead. She was about to spend three hours in a car with Syaoran and after their last meeting she knew she would need these very badly. She saw Syaoran approaching and casually got away from the car's trunk so he wouldn't notice anything unusual.

"Are you all set?" he asked her.

She nodded and took the time to eye his red sports car before sitting in the front seat and wait for him. Since the six of them wouldn't fit in one car, according to Syaoran, then they would have to take two cars. Syaoran decided to drive his own car, since he was so intent on not leaving it behind, while the rest of them decided to follow him on an SUV. At first, Sakura thought he was just being a brat about the whole car thing but after seeing Meiling's two full bags she could clearly see he was right all along, though she would never admit it to his face. "This is a nice car..." she said after he got in.

He caressed the wheel and proudly said as if it was the greatest car in the world, "Well, it is a Ferrari F12!"

She frowned, "Is that supposed to mean something?"

He indignantly stared at her before turning back towards the car's wheel and saying, "Don't worry about those words baby, she's just ignorant of your good ways. I'm sure she didn't mean it as an insult."

She smirked. "You're talking to your car Li? I didn't know you were that crazy already."

"You know… never mind," was all he said before turning the car on and carefully driving away. He looked at his rear mirror now and then to make sure Eriol was still following behind.

"When did you get it?" she asked him. When she heard from his sister he had gotten a new car it had sounded a little strange to her. It didn't make sense whatsoever that a guy who was only going to be in China for a couple of months would buy a new car.

"When I got here," he casually said.

"Wouldn't it have been better to buy it in Europe?" She stared at him. Being at Xian's side had taught her well how to read a person from their reaction and seeing how he didn't answer as casually as he did her first question only meant he was hiding something.

He kept watching the road and after several seconds he said, "I can always buy another one there if I want to."

She knowingly smiled a little but quickly hid it so he wouldn't notice. He had never been good at lying. "And sell this one?"

He looked at her and smirked, "Why? Are you interested in buying?"

"Shift? When there are cars that shift by themselves…? No thanks."

He chuckled, "It's not that bad. Besides, it feels a lot better in the road."

"To you perhaps. I feel a lot better on the road by letting the car shift on its own."

He chuckled. After a couple of minutes he decided to break the silence between them again. "I spoke to Choi yesterday about the interview."

She didn't even look at him. Instead, she decided to look outside her window silently. His decision about the whole interview thing had pissed her off but what really made her angry about this whole situation was how she had reacted to it. Finding a reporter wanting to do an interview on him shouldn't have bothered her so much. I mean, he was right! She was dating Jun now so, why did she care so much if people were to find out they dated years ago?

"I told him to cancel the whole thing."

Now she just felt worst. She nodded to acknowledge she had heard him and just closed her eyes to take a nap. She needed to think.

~ o ~ 

Tomoyo squealed. "Do you think there's a chance of them hooking up this weekend?"

"I doubt it." Eriol calmly said. "Perhaps if she wasn't dating Jun there'd be a better chance but right now… I don't think so."

"Oh, but that can change." Meiling said.

"Why?" Eriol asked.

"Well, Jun's going to be gone almost all weekend. Perhaps spending time with Syaoran now will bring back good memories."

Kyu chuckled at his girlfriend's good way of seeing things, "Even so baby, I'm sure Sakura won't do anything. And, weren't you saying that he wouldn't go back to her?"

"Yeah… But then I've seen him change again. It's almost like it was before. I miss that." she thoughtfully said.

Eriol nodded. "I think if there's any possibility of them getting back together there's a lot they'll have to work out. Let's not forget that Sakura left without saying anything and Syaoran has never been good after that. Not to mention she came to work for his father."

Tomoyo looked at Eriol from the front seat, "What's so bad about that?"

When Eriol kept looking at the road, Meiling knew he wouldn't answer so she softly said, "Syaoran has always had problems trusting auntie and uncle."

Tomoyo looked back at her with a questioning face. "They're his parents," she said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Meiling sighed and sadly smiled, "Yeah… his parents. Imagine a world where you are the only son out of five and you don't get to enjoy your parents the same way any normal kid does because your parents are a Li. Even in this modern world the linage is too strong for them to overpass."

"I still don't understand."

This time Eriol spoke, "His mother is one of the most secretive and silent persons one will ever know and his father is a complete mystery to him. They trust no one. And to think that Sakura was able to get inside and work with them is just something that amazes me and makes me wonder."

"Not just work with them, if it wasn't because auntie still works at the company Sakura could practically be uncle's right hand in the business." Meiling finished his thought as he nodded and kept driving silently. It had been a thought that had built itself inside his mind after finding out who Sakura worked for and, after hearing Meiling, he felt good knowing that he wasn't the only one who had thought about this.

~ o ~ 

Sakura woke from her nap and hour later. She yawned and stretched a little before grabbing her purse and getting out her bag of chips.

Syaoran quickly looked at her, "What are you doing?"

She naturally opened it and looked at him, "I'm opening a bag of chips. What does it looks like?"

"Are you serious?" he incredulously asked looking between the road and her.

"What? I'm hungry," she said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Sakura, not even I eat inside this car."

Sakura looked at the GPS and said, "We're two hours away from the cabin."

"So?" he quickly asked.

She narrowed her eyes at him, "Are you going to let me starve then?"

He took a deep breath and concentrated on the road again. She could clearly see how he was holding his temper inside while she took her first chip into her mouth. She savored the chip and made sure he heard every bite she made on the chip. She had to admit, it gave her a little bit of pleasure to watch him hold himself from truly stopping the car and make her eat outside. There was no doubt in her mind that if it had been anyone else doing it he would've been stopped already on the emergency lane.

_"Oh come on Sakura, everyone knows Syaoran is still gaga over you. Whatever you say can have that man doing your bidding anyway you want it."_

She remembered Feimei's words and smiled to herself before taking another chip and eating it. He didn't say anything. He just kept driving not even looking at her. After an inner battle with herself, she took one of the chips out of the bag and offered it to him. "Come on, I know you want one."

He looked at her hand and after a couple of seconds decided to eat it. He opened his mouth as she placed the chip entirely in his mouth. "I swear you're such a bad influence on me."

She chuckled, "I could say it has always been the other way around. Or shall we ask my father?

He smirked. He had never been able to get along with Fujitaka. Not even when Sakura and him had only been friends in the past did he ever get along with Fujitaka. Something about him not been good enough for his daughter. Yet Sakura had always had a mind of her own when it came to her life.

"Where are we already?" She looked at the GPS again and saw it rerouting. "I think you should have turned back there."

"No I didn't. I don't remember we had to turn yet."

"The GPS told you to turn back there to the right..."

He dismissed her, "I know where I'm going."

She stared at him not believing he was actually persisting on going his way instead of following the GPS instruction. "If you would have known where you were going, you would have turned."

He looked at her and sarcastically smiled, "This coming from someone who's never been there..."

"No, coming from someone who's looking at the map."

He dismissed her words casually and simply said, "Trust me, this is a shortcut."

~ o ~ 

After finalizing their road trip with five hours on the road, instead of the three hours calculated by the GPS thanks to Syaoran, they finally reached the cabin. She got out of his car and look at the sight before her. She had been asked before by Xiefa to come here yet she had declined back then. Now she understood why the Li's liked it so much.

The cabin was not small at all in fact it was a huge beautiful rustic cottage house. They parked their cars in a round sidewalk made of stones. Between the sidewalk and the house there was a small fireplace, also made of stones, surrounded by wooden seats and benches. Bushes adorned the back of the fireplace while the stone way from the fireplace connected at the side with the main walkway that led to the wooden stairs of the front deck of the house.

She closed the door to his car and softly said, "This place is beautiful." She walked the first steps into the stone walkway before taking in the rest of the house. The stairs marked the middle of the two story house and big crystal windows adorned each side on top as well as on the bottom. Trees surrounded the house on the left while the right side of the house had an open area in form of a cove before the trees started to appear.

"Now you know why you couldn't miss this." Tomoyo chuckled and approached her. She walked towards Sakura and admired the cottage view as well while she waited for her boyfriend to take out their bags. "It's still as breathtaking as I remember."

"You've been here?" Sakura asked.

Tomoyo nodded and said, "Just once on Christmas time. If you were here all this time then perhaps you remember a time when Xiefa and her family came here one of the years. Well… all of them except Syaoran." She could've added that she wasn't quite sure with which of his playthings he had decided to stay that Christmas but retracted from doing so.

"Now that you mention it, I do." Sakura smirked at the memory. She remembered the day quite well. Xiefa had wanted her to go to this Christmas thing. She had even begged Sakura to go but in the end she never agreed to it. Instead she had decided to spend her Christmas in her office dealing with a project she had back then which made Xiefa furious before the trip. Then when it was over, she had to listen to Xiefa complain about how inconsiderate her brother was for not attending after all the work her mother had gone through to get him to come.

Meiling put her arms around Sakura and Tomoyo's shoulders and casually said, "Oh, we're going to have so much fun this weekend."

Syaoran looked at them and shook his head as he took Sakura's bag from the trunk, "Come on, let's go inside."

The three of them nodded as Meiling squealed grabbing them both and hurried inside.

"Hey! A little help baby?" Kyu loudly asked but Meiling kept walking.

Eriol chuckled and sarcastically said, "That's a good one Kyu."

The girls walked inside the house and the first thing Sakura noticed was how spacious the house looked. The interior was made of wood. A dark brown sofa adorned the living room along with a beautiful red shaggy carpet and a wooden coffee table in the middle. Different rustic and contemporary frames on the wall gave the living room a cozy and inviting look. The kitchen was in the deep end to the right and, just like everything else she had seen, it was also big. A wooden isle stood in between the stove, other cabinets and small bar with view to the dining room. A plate with candles adorned the middle of the wooden dining set and through the crystal windows on the side you could appreciate the sight of the forest.

"Well ladies… Welcome!" Syaoran mockingly said from the door while carrying Sakura's bag into the house. "The rooms on this floor are on the right. If you walk downstairs you will find the others on each side. You can start choosing while "us" guys do all the work for you."

Meiling chuckled, "Oh Syaoran, don't be such a clown…"

"What? What did I say?" He innocently asked.

They all laugh but nonetheless Meiling was the first one to go looking for her room while the rest slowly followed.

"How many rooms does this house have?" Sakura asked.

He looked at her, "Six. There's two upstairs, four downstairs."

She nodded. She went downstairs and if she thought the first floor looked really good the second floor was incredible. Walking down the stairs, she immediately landed in a huge family room. There was a huge black round leather sofa and comfy plush rounded seats thrown in random places. In front of it, a stone wall served as base for the 55" TV that hanged from it. There was a small entertainment table on the bottom which had the latest entertainment electronic devices. Under the stairs there was a bathroom followed by the hallway that led to the other rooms of the house.

On the side of the family room was a crystal sliding door which led to the pool. The wooden deck that bordered the pool had five sun tan seats which were also made of wood. A Jacuzzi could be seen in a gazebo right in the corner from the pool. This whole house was amazing.

She walked back up and saw Kyu and Eriol walk in with the rest of the stuff and chuckled. Meiling truly had prepared her bags for a month's trip. She instantly felt bad for Kyu but didn't voice her opinion. Instead she quickly said, "I'll be taking one of the rooms upstairs."

Eriol and Kyu looked at each other but didn't say anything. "Sure! Which one is your bag?" Eriol asked.

She pointed at her bag on the floor and he quickly picked it up. "Do you want the one on the left side or the right?"

She walked into the hallway and opened both doors to take a look before choosing. "I'll go with the left one."

Eriol nodded and took her stuff inside. "Here you go. Bathroom is all the way in the end of the hallway."

She nodded and smile, "Thanks!"

"No!" Eriol quickly exclaimed, "Thank you!" He was about to leave but quickly added, "For coming, I mean!"

She quickly felt there was something off with his comment but not minding his words so much she dismissed them. Knowing that Jun was coming later on the weekend she thought that perhaps it was better if they stayed a little apart from the rest of them. She quickly got her bag and started unpacking. She placed some of her clothing in the closet while the rest in a drawer. She picked her personal hygiene stuff and opened the door to place them in the bathroom when she saw Syaoran going into the other room with his bag on hand.

"You're staying in that room?" she quickly asked.

"This has always been my room." He casually said as if there was absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Immediately she understood the true meaning behind Eriol's words… 'Why that little conniving…!'

~ o ~ 

They had all finished unpacking and settling into the cabin when Meiling had suggested to start their supposedly relaxation weekend in the pool. Technically Sakura had chosen one of the bedrooms upstairs thinking that perhaps the weekend would be more relaxing with all of them staying downstairs, and now she was actually thinking if this weekend would truly serve its purpose after knowing Syaoran would be staying in front of her bedroom.

Meiling walked out of the house and immediately spotted Sakura sunbathing already in one of the seats. She walked towards her with her own created frozen Pina Colada and sat in the seat next to Sakura. "So, wasn't this the best idea ever?"

Tomoyo, who was at the other side of Sakura, chuckled, "It is! And… you didn't even think of us when you made that?" She pointed at Meiling's drink.

Meiling shook her head. "Don't blame me. Your boyfriend is the one making these," she said as she pointed to her drink.

Tomoyo looked shocked and quickly got up to get one as well while Meiling settled in her seat. "Ah… this is the life."

"Babe, aren't you coming in?" Kyu asked from the pool.

She looked at him and quickly shook her head. "No. I think I'm all in for Sakura's idea right now."

"What?"

Syaoran chuckled at his cousin's answer from inside the pool as well. Sometimes his cousin could be so self-centered without even noticing.

"Can you believe that?" Kyu lowly asked him. "I can't believe she finds sunbathing more fun than actually been in the pool with me…"

"What's that baby? Are you talking to me?" she loudly asked while putting her hand in her forehead to shade her eyes from the sun so she could see him.

"Nothing!" Kyu loudly said so she could hear him. "That you look beautiful from here."

"Oh, thanks sweetie." She smiled and lay down on her seat.

He watched his girlfriend settle in her seat and shook his head. "Honestly, sometimes not even I know why I bother…" He noticed Syaoran looking at Sakura intently and sighed. "You know… I've never seen a guy stop you before."

"Trust me. The guy is not what I'm worried about." He simply said. Making a move right now would only push her away he knew that much. Sakura had never been a person who liked to be cornered. He knew he needed to test the waters before doing anything if he didn't want to screw up.

"You know, we were all wondering if you'd go back to her. I mean, with the way things ended between you two."

Syaoran sighed but didn't answer.

Tomoyo walked into the pool with a cup on her hand followed by her fiancé.

"Aren't you going to sunbathe with the rest of the girls?" Kyu asked.

"What? And leave this hunk all to you guys?" she pointed at Eriol and sweetly smiled before giving him a quick kiss, "Never!"

Kyu scoffed and narrowed his eyes at Meiling's figure sunbathing while Syaoran chuckled once more.

"Sorry Kyu!" Eriol said before laughing as well.

~ o ~ 

Sakura could feel his stare as she relaxingly enjoyed getting a sun tan. She thought that perhaps she should've at least feel a little remorseful knowing that her boyfriend was not here and she was completely conscious of how Syaoran was looking at her, but she didn't. In fact, knowing she could still keep his stare made her feel in a way empowering.

Meiling, who was at her side, got on her stomach and started flipping the pages of a magazine, "So, did you guys talk anything interesting in the car on the way here?"

"Like what?" Sakura calmly asked without interrupting her sunbathing experience.

"Like a reconciliation perhaps? The way he's looking at you is enough to have any girl melt under that stare. Maybe you should stop making him wait this long."

Sakura took a deep breath but remained laying down, "I'm not making anyone wait. I have a boyfriend and perhaps it's time that all of you got that through your heads."

Meiling scoffed, "You have a boyfriend who we barely see at your side. Are you sure he fits the entire description?"

"He fits my description. That's good enough for me." She simply answered trying to not show displeasure at the conversation.

"You know… if Kyu told me he would be staying the entire weekend in a house with one of his ex-girlfriends I would never leave his side, not for one second." Meiling thoughtfully said.

Sakura smirked, "I didn't know Kyu had ex-girlfriends."

Meiling raised an eyebrow. "He does," she bitterly said before flipping another page.

"The base of every healthy relationship is trust and Jun trusts me. He doesn't need to watch me 24/7 to know that he matters to me as much as I matter to him."

Meiling smiled to herself and casually said, "You may be right. Then again, you never told him everything that happened between my cousin and you."

Sakura opened her eyes and sourly looked at Meiling. She was supposed to be having a relaxing time and this conversation was the only obstacle right now in her way of getting it.

Meiling confidently looked at her as well and knowingly smiled, "You still wouldn't dare."

Sakura sighed again. "Suddenly I feel that been in the pool will be more enjoyable right now," she said before getting up from her seat.

Meiling watched as Sakura walked all the way into the pool and slowly walked the pool steps till she was all in. As Sakura slowly made her way towards the group, a conniving smile appeared on Meiling's face before going back to watching the latest fashion for the summer in her magazine.

~ o ~ 

"Hey Sakura! Nice of you to join us!" Eriol said raising his cup toasting to that.

"Seems like my girlfriend is the only one that doesn't care about spending time with me." Kyu murmured.

"Oh, you know she does Kyu." Tomoyo casually said. "Don't be so dramatic. She just likes spending time by herself as well."

He rolled his eyes, "right…"

They all saw him swim all the way towards one of the corners. He got out of the water and walked towards her.

"You know, the sun is leaving soon. Eriol and I brought some movies. Would you guys like to watch one?" Tomoyo asked.

"What do you have in mind?" Sakura asked.

"Action." Both, Syaoran and Eriol, quickly answered at the same time knowing perfectly well the kind of movies Tomoyo usually chose to watch.

Tomoyo looked at them disapprovingly before looking at Sakura. "Actually, I was thinking more on a romantic one."

Sakura looked between Tomoyo and to where Eriol and Syaoran stood a little behind her making silent evading signs. She smiled before carefully asking, "Is there any comedy?"

Before any of them could say anything else, Meiling's scream interrupted them from the side followed by her ranting, "What are you doing? Put me down Kyu. I need the sun tan."

"No, I want to spend time with you." He simply said as he kept her held up like a caveman and led her inside the house.

"Stop this right now!" she said while hitting his back in between laughs.

They laughed at the scene.

"Well, I'm guessing their not voting for tonight's movie." Eriol said in between laughs. After several minutes they finally calmed down and Eriol turned towards Tomoyo to ask, "Baby, can we watch The Avenger's movie tonight and just leave the romantic one for tomorrow?"

She didn't look too please with that alternative but said, "A vote? How many of us want to watch that tonight?"

Eriol, Syaoran, and even Sakura raised their hands.

Tomoyo unbelievably looked at Sakura. "You want to watch that as well?"

Sakura chuckled, "As opposed to the romantic movie tonight, yes."

Tomoyo rolled her eyes giving up in the process. "Fine! Come on Eriol, help me set this up."

Eriol smiled and silently thank Sakura for the vote before following his girlfriend out of the water and into the house.

She chuckled and waited for them to go inside before looking at Syaoran. "Can we talk before we go inside?" she softly asked.

Syaoran nodded.

She didn't understand why all of the sudden she felt a little nervous. "I just wanted to apologize for the other night. I shouldn't have been so bothered by someone doing a special program on you."

He softly smiled at her and got a little closer. "Don't be. You were right."

She blinked quickly and turned her gaze away from his intense stare before saying, "Even so, I didn't have to be such a bitch about it."

He chuckled, "Can't argue with that!"

She chuckled as well and playfully rolled her eyes before looking at him, "You're not supposed to agree with me…"

He smiled, "You know, I'm quite impressed with how you've done."

She looked away. "I haven't done much to be impressed at."

He looked at her, "No, you have. You finished your studies just like you've always wanted to, you have one of the highest positions in the best company in China, and you have established yourself among the highest business people around the world. You can't tell me that's not something to be impressed at."

She rolled her eyes once more. "I think you're over exaggerating."

This had always been a weakness of her. Syaoran hated how she never felt right receiving compliments. She had always been so judgmental about herself that she never found compliments ever do her justice. He thought that with time it would go away and yet she still wasn't used to receiving them. "I can even go as far as saying that you have been a great teacher as well. That Suri learned even your bad temper."

She chuckled and smirked, "Well, in that case then yes… I've done well."

He moved a hair out of her face while caressing her cheek. The jolt she felt when his fingers graced her skin was unmistakable. She looked down and almost closed her eyes as her body betrayed her current situation. She quickly turned her face away from him and nervously smiled before asking, "Are you planning of making a dishonest woman out of me?"

"Aren't you already one?" he softly asked her.

She quickly looked at him. The water wasn't enough to put down the sudden heat she felt under those scrutinizing auburn eyes. His lips looked so inviting to her.

"Guys, are you going to watch the movie?" Eriol asked from the terrace door.

She quickly looked away towards Eriol who was waiting for their answer in the terrace door. She felt relieved before answering, "Uh, yeah." She walked pass Syaoran and walked out of the water. She took her towel and put it around her body before walking inside the family room.

Eriol smiled at her as he let her pass before looking back at Syaoran who had a murderous look on his face. He quickly lost his smile and gulped when he realized he had walked in at a bad time and quickly walked back inside the family room as well ignoring his cousin's silent threats.

~ o ~ 

After watching the movie downstairs, the guys went out to the fireplace to cook some hamburgers to eat as dinner. Sakura took a quick shower and went downstairs to find her friends. She walked down the stairs drying her hair with a towel when she saw Tomoyo on the couch looking at a binder she had on her hand.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Tomoyo looked at Sakura and smiled. "Oh, you're done showering."

Sakura nodded.

"This was supposed to be what Eriol and I would be doing tonight before he conveniently decided to help the guys cook." Tomoyo said.

Sakura could hear the bitterness tone in her words and went to sit at her side to see as well. The binder had an invitation per page. Each page had a folded invitation on the top of the page and the open version of it on the bottom.

Tomoyo sighed. "I never knew that invitations were so hard to choose from." She said while passing another page from the laminated binder. "And to think I was telling Eriol about this and he's not even concerned for it. He just told me he's okay with whatever I pick."

"Well Tomoyo, you know guys don't really care for stuff like that. I mean, I'm sure Eriol didn't wanted to seem so uninterested is just that maybe he doesn't even know what to say about it." Sakura tried to explain.

Tomoyo sighed. "I know. Maybe I'm making a huge deal about this."

Sakura sighed. She really felt bad for her friend but honestly... what kind of guy really cares for a wedding invitation. As far as she could tell, they only nodded their way through choosing just to get it out of their way. "You know what... I'm feeling like making lemonade. Do you want some?"

Tomoyo smiled and nodded. "Thanks Sakura."

Sakura got up when suddenly Meiling came out to the family room with a red pistol on her hand.

"Meiling! What is that?"

"Hahaha!" Meiling's dark laugh made them question her sanity but waited for her answer. "This, my friends, is called payback."

Sakura laughed. "What did we ever do to you?"

"Oh no... Not you. It's for the guys." she threw a paintball pistol towards Sakura which she easily captured in her hands. "I remember when we were little Syaoran and Eriol used to play tricks on me with this."

Sakura smirked. "Is there one more?"

"There should be. We used to have four of these but I don't know where Syaoran and Eriol hid theirs. So, what do you say? Are you with me or against me?" she said as she pointed the gun again at them to state her point.

Sakura laughed. "How about you hide these again, and while the guys are out tomorrow running in the morning we quickly go to the store and buy another one for Tomoyo. That way we can have an advantage, and then we can all take our revenge on them?"

Meiling chuckled, "Oh how I missed you Sakura. We can surprise them when they walk in from their training."

Sakura nodded.

"I'm in." Tomoyo quickly said.

Meiling looked at her. "Really? I thought you wouldn't agree too easily on us doing stuff like this Tomoyo..."

"Well, what can I say... sometimes you just have to let go of your anger another way."

Meiling smirked and smiled already savoring victory. "Girls... I say we have a plan."

~ o ~ 

The next morning, after thirty minutes driving they reached the small town. The guys had all gone with Syaoran to do their little two hour workout and they took the opportunity to run real quick into town to get their ammo for this morning's massacre according to Meiling. Sakura got out of the car and looked around. She noticed only a few stores were open at 8:00 in the morning because of the hanging sign on the door.

She looked around and saw a few people walking through the sidewalks, others that were opening their shops, and a few exercising around. But one of them caught her attention. A man with a cap on his head and sunglasses was sitting down in a bench reading a newspaper. 'Where have I seen this man before?'

"Sakura?"

She stopped looking at the man and looked towards Meiling with a questioning glare.

"Are you coming?" she asked.

She nodded and smiled, "Yeah. Is the store even open? Most of these stores are still closed."

"Oh I sure hope so. If not then the guys will have enough time to get back before we do." Tomoyo said.

"It is!" Meiling pointed at the store door and the signed that read OPEN. She squealed and went inside quickly followed by Tomoyo and Sakura.

As they walked in, Meiling went straight to the store's manager to ask for the ammo. While she was asking, Tomoyo and Sakura decided to look around the store. It was amazing how many weapons they sold in the store. Sakura separated herself from Tomoyo and went towards the aisle closest to the window. She discreetly looked outside and saw the man from earlier taking pictures of the store. She looked down towards some of the weapons and grabbed one in her hands before walking back towards Meiling.

"Wonderful! We'll take five boxes." Meiling wickedly said.

Sakura chuckled at the manager's frightened face.

"Lady, are you sure you want that many?" The guy looked at the 1,000 count boxes and then back to Meiling.

Sakura put down a pistol and quickly answered for her, "We'll add this to the boxes."

He nodded and put the boxes and the pistol in bags. He took Meiling's card and swiped it while telling his employee to help them put the goods in their car. The boy nodded and after buying what they needed, the four of them headed towards the car.

"You know what girls? We should all take a picture right now. This is a memorable moment for us." Sakura suggested.

"You're right!" Tomoyo excitedly said.

Meiling nodded, "Yes, today is going to be a victorious day."

Sakura took out her cell phone and programmed it on self picture mode. "Okay, you're already scaring me as well Meiling."

"Oh shut up! Do you know how many years I've waited for this?"

Tomoyo and Sakura chuckled before getting themselves ready for the picture.

"Sakura, isn't it better to get it a little lower?" Tomoyo asked.

"No. I like the way the background of this small town also appears on the picture." She casually answered.

They all smiled as Sakura took the picture with the background of the bench behind. They looked at it and nodded in agreement of the picture before getting inside the car and driving away towards the cabin.

When they reached the house, Tomoyo carefully entered it while Sakura and Meiling waited on the car.

"Baby?" Tomoyo loudly called but no answer came. She quickly turned around to let them know the coast was clear. Meiling and Sakura quickly got out of the car and ran into the house with the bags on hand.

"To my room!" Meiling excitedly said while quickly leading them. As soon as she entered her room, she took out the other two pistols from her hidden place and gave Sakura hers. They each loaded their gun before any of the guys arrived.

"I should change into some baggy pants to at least carry a rechargeable bag." Sakura said.

"Good idea." Meiling said. She got up and looked through her two bags till she found three baggy pants. She threw one to each of them and started to switch to the one that was left in her hand.

"Wow, you truly did came prepared for this…" Tomoyo commented as she started inspecting her pants.

Meiling chuckled and nodded. "Quickly change before the guys arrive."

Sakura and Tomoyo nodded. The lose pants had never been Sakura's favorite style but she could still wear them. She put on her pants and grabbed one of the multi-colored bags of paintball ammo to put it on her pocket but it didn't fit. "We'll have to divide the bags to make it fit in the pockets."

Meiling and Tomoyo nodded and divided the bags as well. When the three of them were done, they each finished with a loaded gun and two pockets full of paintball ammo. They looked at each other and felt completely satisfied before nodding and walking out the door to wait for the guys upstairs in the living room.

After several minutes, they heard Kyu's loud voice in the distance. Tomoyo quickly hid behind the sofa as Meiling chose to stay in the stairs and Sakura went all the way to the other side and hid behind her room's hallway wall.

"No man! I'm telling you, watching a romantic movie is as boring as going to the mall. Do you know what we'll have to go through tonight?" Kyu said as he opened the door.

"It wouldn't have been fair man."

Tomoyo waited for Eriol to enter before getting out from behind the couch hiding her gun behind her back.

"Tomoyo?" He looked at her from head to toe. She was smiling innocently sweet at him wearing blue baggy pants and a red tank top. He hoped this wasn't one more of those new fashions she liked to experiment with as he curiously asked, "Are you okay?"

She sweetly smiled and nodded.

He questionably stared at her. "What are you wearing baby?"

"Necessary attire." She sweetly answered once more.

He wasn't exactly sure of what she meant by that and a little afraid of finding out, but he had to ask. "A necessary attire for what?"

She kept smiling before pointing the gun at him.

He opened his eyes widely, "Where did you…?"

Tomoyo didn't let him finish as she started firing at him and Kyu.

"Now Sakura!" Meiling yelled from the stairs before appearing as well and firing at them

"What the-" Kyu said before running out the door. He hit Syaoran on his way out.

"Hey man, watch it!" Syaoran loudly said.

Kyu looked at Syaoran. "They have guns man!" he said before running to hide in the bushes.

"What?" Syaoran asked not understanding anything until he saw Eriol running out the door as well. At the sight of Eriol's shirt it dawn on him. 'The paintball pistols!' he thought before watching his cousin run out of the house with a Tomoyo in pursuit shooting at him.

Meiling suddenly appeared on the door yelling loudly, "Come back here you cowards!" She looked at Syaoran and smirked before firing at him.

Syaoran ran to hide behind one of the bushes as well before loudly asking, "Kyu! What did you do this time?"

Kyu evaded several more shots fired at him before answering, "Nothing man! I swear that woman will be the death of me."

Sakura, who had been watching from the door, saw both of their hiding places. She couldn't see where Eriol had run off to but at least she knew exactly where Syaoran and Kyu were hiding. It was enough to formulate a plan in her head to expose both of them. She silently circled the bushes around while Meiling was firing towards them from the front. She found Kyu covering his head with each shot fired by his girlfriend and smirked before firing at him from behind.

"Shit!" he quickly jumped after feeling the shots and was surprised to find Sakura. He started running towards another bush but his girlfriend fired all the way at him. "What is wrong with these women?" he yelled.

Sakura then proceeded to find Syaoran. She walked slowly to his hiding place only to find it empty. 'Sneaking are we?' she thought before carefully walking around the bushes.

He appeared from behind her. "Give me that!" He said as he launched for her but she barely slipped away. She started running away from him with the pistol on hand.

"Aaahhh!" Sakura playfully screamed before turning around and shooting at him.

After seeing him getting out of the bushes and following Sakura, Meiling fired at him. She hit him with a couple of shots before needing to recharge and yelling, "Get him Sakura!" Meiling laughed.

Sakura ran away from Syaoran laughing and looking back at him. He was running towards her as she pointed the gun at him and started shooting. She could see several shots hit him but he didn't stop his pursue.

It didn't matter how many times she fired at him, he ran after her until he caught her by her stomach and threw both of them to the grassy ground. He landed first and her back landed on top of him. He wrestled with her a little trying to get her gun but she was feisty.

"Stop it!" she screamed and laughed at the same time as Syaoran tried to tickle her so she would drop her hold on the gun. Still laughing, she was able to untangle herself from his grip. All she heard was Meiling and Tomoyo from the side rooting for her as she turned around and fired once again at him. Syaoran tried to cover himself but it was evident who the winner had been. He was all covered in all sorts of colors which made her laugh even harder until something at the corner of her eye made her stop. "Jun."

Syaoran looked at her questionably, "what?"

She dropped her aim, "he's here." She walked past Syaoran to meet her boyfriend.

"Hey! I thought you weren't coming until tomorrow." She said after approaching him.

He shrugged. "I wanted to surprise you. I got off a day early."

She nodded. "Well, I'm not giving you a hug until I clean up or else you'll get paint all over your clothes. It's not mine, it's actually..." She was about to say Syaoran but decided to stop before it was too late. "Never mind. Give me a couple of minutes to clean up."

He nodded as she quickly kissed him and headed towards the house.

"Are you okay man?" Kyu asked as he helped Syaoran get back up.

Syaoran had watched the entire scene but didn't say anything. "Yeah." He walked towards Jun as calmly as possible. "Welcome."

Jun waited until Sakura was all the way inside before turning towards Syaoran. "Don't think for one second I don't have my eyes on you. So you better back off before it gets ugly."

Syaoran scoffed, "Is that a challenge?"

"Sakura may not notice, or if she does she doesn't care. But I know very well you still feel something for my girlfriend." Having said that, Jun followed his girlfriend and entered the house.

Syaoran stared at his back. Kyu stood at his side. "We start practices next week man. Don't do anything stupid."

"Shut up Kyu," was all he said before walking towards the house as well. He needed a quick shower to calm down desperately if he was going to survive three days without breaking that guy's face.

~ o ~ 

Jun entered the room with his bag on hand and placed it on the bed with some magazines he had bought for the flight while he waited for his girlfriend to come back from the bathroom. He had to admit this house was pretty amazing. Most of his friends had already warned him about Li. Aside from being a flirtatious player with girls, he also had his family name which attracted many women. And although he knew his girlfriend was not that type of girl, knowing that they had something in the past made him feel a little nervous.

Sakura entered the room with a bathing suit on and smiled at him.

"Weren't you changing?" he asked her.

"I did! Do you like my new bathing suit?" She walked towards him and placed her hands around his neck. She was wearing a lime green bikini. The bottom part of it had little pink bows on the side while the top part of the bikini had the strings pink colored and were tied up with another bow on her bra.

He put his hands around her torso and hugged her to him. "I like you in it." He said before kissing her.

She broke the kiss after several seconds and sweetly said, "I told the girls we could go to the pool and get some sun. What do you think?"

"Well, we are on vacation." He smiled and gave her another quick kiss before saying, "I'll get change."

She nodded. "Good. The pool is downstairs. I'll meet you there." She quickly kissed him again before turning around and walking out the door.

He sighed. He opened his bag and started to get his clothing out. He found his bathing suit and heard the door open. He looked up to see Eriol peeking into his room.

"The guys and I are going to check the horses before going to the pool. Do you want to come?"

"You also have horses in this place?" he surprisingly asked.

Eriol nodded. "Auntie brought them last week. Meiling likes to ride whenever she comes here."

He nodded and watched as Kyu also appeared on the door.

"So, you finished settling down?" he asked.

Jun smiled at him, "I haven't. But I doubt I'll unpack everything until tonight."

Kyu nodded. "Good, come on then." He was about to turn around when he saw a magazine on Jun's bed that caught his attention. Meiling was on the cover of the magazine with a red bathing suit on. "Is that your magazine?"

Jun and Eriol looked towards the bed. Eriol widely opened his eyes and looked back up to Jun.

"Oh! That's one of the magazines I bought at the airport. I like reading on flights." Jun casually said. He didn't pay too much attention to it as he walked into the closet and took off his shoes.

"That's my cousin." Eriol casually said as he pointed at the magazine.

Jun got out of the closet and nodded. "I know. She's the model, right?"

Eriol nodded. He was certain Jun hadn't noticed the angriness boiling inside Kyu. Many of the fights Kyu had with Meiling consisted of her career choices and he guessed today's wouldn't be any different.

"Can I borrow this?" Kyu lowly asked.

Jun nodded, "Sure!"

Kyu walked towards the bed and grabbed the magazine. If the cover was any indication of the pictures he would find inside the magazine, he didn't need to scan through it to know he would be pissed after looking at them. He turned around and walked towards the door.

"Kyu?"

"Shut up Eriol." He muttered.

Eriol simply let him pass without getting too involved in it.

"Is he alright?" Jun asked.

"Yeah." He casually said. "It's not a big deal. I'll wait for you in the living room." Eriol said before turning around and leaving Jun to finish changing.

~ o ~ 

He was furious. He rapidly walked downstairs and searched in their room for her with the magazine on hand but didn't find her there. He heard laughing coming from the pool and headed over there. Finally he saw her along with Sakura and Tomoyo laughing in a corner and went to her.

"We need to talk." his low tone gave away that something was clearly bothering him.

Meiling looked at him curiously, "Are you alright baby?"

"Alone." He said before turning around and walking towards the house. "Now Meiling!"

She stood up from her place and followed him towards their room.

Sakura looked at Tomoyo, "What's wrong with him? Will she be okay?"

Tomoyo smiled and nodded. "It's probably something she did to piss him off. They've been like this for quite a while."

After walking inside the room she closed the door. She looked at him thoroughly until she landed on his hand. There was no doubt about what brought his change of mood… he had seen her in the magazine already.

He turned around and threw the magazine on the bed. On the front cover, Meiling appeared in a red bikini with both of her hands pulling her hair out of her face very provocatively as she came out of the beach wearing her bottom part of the bikini a little lower than usual. "You want to explain to me why you need to be like this on a guy's magazine?"

"It's not a man's only magazine and it's just a bathing suit Kyu." She said to him.

He widely opened his eyes. "Is it? Funny, I almost miss the bathing suit."

"Oh, don't start." She knew he wouldn't like the pictures but he needed to understand it was her job.

"Don't start? Do you like showing yourself to other men like this? I thought we talked about you not doing these kinds of poses anymore."

"No Kyu, you talked about that but it is my career."

"Your career is modeling. That doesn't mean you have to go and take pictures with barely anything on." He said a little louder than usual.

"I have a bathing suit on. It shows very clearly in the picture." She tried to explain but he was already pass the point of hearing an explanation.

"No Meiling, that bathing suit is missing some cloth. I still don't understand how you can just expose yourself like that for all men to see."

"It's just a job Kyu." She quickly said.

"It is a job you can choose whether or not to do a shoot and you still choose to do this knowing I hate when you do it." He was already to the point of yelling at her. He hated when she did things like these and to make it worst this time she hadn't even told him about it. He had just found out casually because Jun had brought the stupid magazine.

"What do you expect me to do Kyu? Stop advancing in my career just because you don't like it?"

"I am your boyfriend Meiling. Last time I checked, this is how you wanted it. Don't you think that perhaps you could be more considerate when I asked you to stop doing these kinds of shootings? It's not like you need the money anyways."

"You're such a jerk sometimes. So I should stop doing something I love because you are my boyfriend... In that case I think we should stop this relationship right now. That way I can do my shoot and you don't have to feel embarrassed because of your girlfriend's job."

He stared at her. "Fine! We're done then!" he said as he walked passed her and opened the door but, before walking out, he turned around towards her and said, "You know, I have tried to please you in many things. All of your little whims and small demands, even when you have needed your so-called space, I have given it to you. But I'm tired and I can't settle for second best. So you need to decide." He turned around and walked away.

Meiling took a deep breath to try to calm down and closed the door as a tear fell unavoidably from her eyes and the rest just followed.

~ o ~ 

After today's "lively" events, Sakura and Tomoyo had spent about an hour comforting Meiling. Riding had been cancelled because of her fight with Kyu. Then Kyu came back, packed up some of his stuff, and decided to stay at a hotel that night which only aggravated the situation. So, the rest of the evening was spent comforting Meiling again before it was time to go to bed.

Sakura turned around on her bed. Something was making her feel uneasy. She had traveled to many places because of her work and not once was she not able to sleep in a new bed. So new bed theory discarded. Besides, she had slept the night before with no trouble at all… So, why was she having such difficulty sleeping tonights? She tossed and turned for the last time before turning one more time till she was facing the door and carefully got up making sure not to wake Jun with her movements. 'Perhaps a walk will be good.' She put her night gown and tied it around her waist before silently walking out of the room.

She walked through the hallway trying to figure out why she couldn't sleep. She had a lot of work back in the city. I mean, part of the idea of coming along in this little trip was to get the stress out and have a small vacation, but that couldn't possibly be it. Her amazing boyfriend was supposed to come tomorrow yet he got here a day before just so that he could spend more time with her. So, what was wrong now?

She walked into the living room and noticed through one of the windows that the fireplace outside was light up. Curiously she walked out of the house and towards it. She saw a figure sitting in the bench in front of it. Syaoran turned around and their eyes locked for a second before he smiled at her.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked her.

She shook her head and took a deep breath.

"I can't offer you strawberries since Wei didn't buy any for this weekend but you can sit here with me if you want… I won't bite yet."

She rolled her eyes at him, "You won't bite, period." She clarified and smiled while shaking her head at his sarcastic comment. She walked towards him and took a seat right next to him but was on alert in case he tried something. It wasn't that he would force himself on her, she knew he would never do that, but given the chance she had no doubt he would probably make true on his words. She hadn't missed that bitter look that crossed his face at the mention of Jun's surprising arrival this morning.

She sat right next to him and watched the bonfire go on while it warmed her body to a nice temperature. It wasn't too cold outside as it was almost summer, but since the house was located among the mountains in a high location the weather usually was a little chilly at night. "I heard you have many offers around. Have you decided in which European team you want to play?"

He shook his head. "I'm waiting for the cup."

"I thought you already knew with who you wanted to play..."

"So did I…" he thoughtfully said.

She looked at him, "What changed?"

He sighed, "Many things, but for now I'm just waiting for the cup."

"That's a little risky, don't you think? To leave an entire decision based on a tournament..."

"The World Cup is not just any tournament. It's the best of the best."

She looked at him and smiled. There was something mesmerizing about hearing Syaoran talk about soccer. His eyes still shinned whenever he talked proudly about it. Even when he was concentrated looking at the fire, she could still see that spark ignited by the passion he felt for the sport that made him the athlete he was today.

"Since when haven't you been sleeping?" he suddenly asked.

She looked away into the fire once more and softly asked, "What do mean?"

He smiled and looked at her, "It hasn't been tonight only. Your eyes can say that much."

She scoffed, "You think you can still read me?"

"Then tell me I'm wrong, though I'm pretty sure I'm right." He confidently said.

She smiled a little but still didn't look at him. Apparently time had forgotten to take away his arrogance these seven years they spent apart. Not that she minded much. She loved the way he took pride in knowing her back then. She sighed. "Probably a couple of months now."

"Why?"

She chuckled, "Too many things I guess. My job, traveling, coordinating most of the tournament… It's been a little hectic lately."

He smiled and stood up. She watched him as he walked into the house. She scoffed, 'what's wrong with him now?' she thought. A couple of minutes later he came back with a bag of marshmallows, a bag of Hershey chocolates, and a bag of graham crackers.

"What are you doing?" she unbelievably asked.

He smirked but nonetheless sat down and opened the bag of marshmallows. "What does it look like I'm doing...? I'm doing S'mores"

"At this hour Syaoran?" she simply asked.

He smirked. "Yeah!"

She chuckled. "You don't even have a stick for it..."

"You're right!" He went into the house again and returned with the steak fork. He put a marshmallow on the fork and set it on the fire.

She chuckled at him. "I hope no one wakes up because of you."

"Why would they?" he innocently asked.

She unbelievably watched as he roasted the marshmallow on the bonfire. "You shouldn't keep it in too long," she said switching her sight back and forth from Syaoran to the marshmallow and then back to Syaoran.

"It's fine. Trust me... I am an expert." He said to her. As he took out the fork, the marshmallow was completely covered in fire. Syaoran blew out the fire to reveal a black and shrunk marshmallow.

She laughed. "I told you, you would burn it! Why can't you ever listen to me?"

"I didn't burn it! I made you a marshmallow in form of a teddy bear."

"A what?"

"I did! Look at it! It's a black teddy bear."

"It looks more like a piece of carbon to me." she kept laughing.

"I'm hurt that you can't appreciate my art..." he mockingly said.

"You're such a liar!"

He smiled and looked down to put the marshmallow into a piece of graham cookie. He hesitated a little before softly saying, "I searched for you. After you left Japan, I searched for you."

Her laughed turned into a sad smile. "I heard. But still to this day I don't regret my decision."

"I missed you." He said as he gave her the first S'more.

She sighed and accepted it. "You should stop saying that to me. I have a boyfriend now." She ate a piece of the S'more and surprisingly enough it didn't tasted that burned to her. In fact it tasted really good.

He stared as he watched her take another bite. "Trust me, I know... It's the only thing that's been keeping me from kissing you right now."

She quickly looked at him. It shouldn't have come as a surprise to her that he was finally saying it in front of her. Knowing him it must've been hard to keep it silent throughout all of this time. Hiding and waiting had never been part of his virtues but nonetheless she was stunned by his little confession. She couldn't understand why he kept doing it? He should've known she wouldn't accept it.

"Don't!" He quickly said as he turned to set another marshmallow on the fork and set it by the fire again. "I mean it."

She sighed and finished the rest of her s'more before saying, "I should get going."

He needed to know. "Did things ended up so badly between us that you wouldn't consider coming back to me?"

She looked at him. In the three years she had known Syaoran she had learned how to read his eyes without much effort. To this day she could still say she could do that after looking at his eyes and deciphering the meaning behind his words… he wasn't waiting anymore. He had made his decision. She sighed, "Why can't you just let things be the way they are?"

He stared at her, "Because I know I'm not the only one feeling this."

She looked at him and for a minute he thought she would finally see it his way. Then she turned her face away, "Jun is my boyfriend now."

A look of hurt adorned his face before turning it towards the fire again. "I don't see you leaving..."

"I was leaving...I mean I am leaving" She nervously got up and hoped he hadn't noticed the impact his little confession was already having on her although she was pretty sure he had. He was really fast in reading most of her emotions. It was something she had loved back then about him and at the same time made her feel cautious around him.

~ o ~ 

The next morning she felt the consequences of a sleepless night. Her head pounded with the smallest sound inside and outside the room. Jun had woken up already. She slowly opened her eyes after hearing some noise to find him going through his bag searching for something.

"Baby?" she patiently said, "Can you please not do that?"

He looked at her curiously. "What? I need to get dressed."

"I know. But I have a headache. Can you please just find whatever it is that you're looking for and go?"

He nodded and kept searching through his clothing. "Do you want me to bring you some painkillers?"

She took a deep breath and nodded. "Thanks"

She watched him grab his clothes and walk out of the room. 'This is all Syaoran's fault!' she thought not caring for staying under the covers of her bed. It wasn't enough that she hadn't been able to sleep last night, his little confession was one more thing added to her train of thoughts. She turned around to lay face up looking at the ceiling. 'What the heck is so different from last time?' His words still sounded as enchanting as she remembered. His eyes were still as mesmerizing as she remembered. So, what was so different?

She thought about how this entire weekend had started off. They had been good so far until Jun arrived a day earlier but she knew his arrival would be awkward. She had decided to come nonetheless inviting Jun as well which confirmed what she needed to know… this friendship with Syaoran was not working out. He had proposed being friends when they met again and yet he couldn't comply with it.

She grabbed her phone and unlocked it. She opened her photos and saw the picture she took with Meiling and Tomoyo on their little visit to town. She hit the share button and texted it. Not minutes passed before she noticed her phone silently notifying her of the person calling.

"It's nice of you to send a picture of you having fun in your vacations when there are people who are working hard on a day like today." Xiefa sarcastically greeted her.

Sakura smirked, "And here I was thinking what a great Christmas Day I missed a couple of years ago…"

"Well, that's your fault. But thank you for letting me know how you truly feel about that night years after."

Sakura chuckled, "I need you to do me a favor."

"Sakura, you're on vacations "hopefully" not thinking about work."

She sighed, "I need you to find out who the guy in the back is and who is he working for."

"A reporter?" Xiefa quickly asked.

"Sort of. Could be"

"Ah… so you think it's more?"

"Just find out and txt me the answer."

"Fine. I'll see you on Monday." Xiefa said before hanging the phone.

She put the phone down and closed her eyes.

"Were you talking to someone?" Jun asked from the door.

She quickly opened her eyes and smiled at him, "Just work."

He scoffed, "Can't they leave you alone for one day? Do they know the meaning of vacations?"

She smiled at him and took the pills and water cup from his hands. She swallowed the pill and drank half a cup of water before putting the cup on the night stand. "I just wanted to make sure everything was fine."

"Babe, it's you. Everything is fine. I'm sure they can do without you for a couple of days, more so on a Saturday."

"Well, you know how I am."

"Are you going to stay here?"

She nodded. "Just till the headache goes down."

He nodded. "Do you want me to stay with you?"

She shook her head. "No. It's fine. Go have fun with the guys till I get better."

"Are you sure?"

She nodded.

"Okay." He gave her a quick kiss, "Text me if you need anything."

She nodded and waited for him to be out the door before closing her eyes again. She hated having headaches.

~ o ~ 

Meiling looked at her cell phone but the screen just showed a picture of Kyu hugging her smiling form and the time at the top. She had expected at least a text from him last night but instead she received nothing. Usually when they had these fights they would at least text each other until one of them couldn't take it anymore and would call the other, but this time it had been different. He had walked out of the house at night without looking back.

She unlocked her phone and looked for his number. She was about to dial it but sighed and turn her phone off. It had been like that the entire morning for her. She knew he hated her doing these shoots but, honestly, couldn't he see them another way? She wasn't doing them just to exhibit herself to other men, just like he had said. She truly saw it as part of a growing experience in her industry.

She changed from her pajamas to casual clothing. Not caring much for her appearance right now, she fixed her hair into a ponytail before walking upstairs to have some breakfast. Eriol and Tomoyo were already in the table talking and eating some pancakes.

"Good Morning!" Tomoyo quickly said after noticing her walking up the stairs. "How are you feeling?"

"Like crap but it's not your fault," she said not even looking at them while walking towards the kitchen. She saw Jun getting out of Sakura's room and, since Sakura was not coming out, she curiously asked, "Where's Sakura?"

He smiled at her and explained, "She has a headache. I just took some pills to her. She'll be coming out once she feels better."

Meiling nodded. "Nice to know I'm not the only one feeling like crap today," she sourly said without even noticing it. She took out two eggs from the fridge, cheese, and ham to make her breakfast before turning on the stove and placing a pan in it.

"I don't see how that's good news." Jun quickly said.

"Don't mind her Jun." Eriol said. "She still hasn't had her coffee yet."

Jun nodded and continued to the table to finish his orange juice when Syaoran entered the house.

He was all wet from his own sweat. "Good morning!" he greeted everyone.

"I thought you guys were on vacation…" Jun said to Eriol.

Eriol nodded. "We are, but Syaoran is used to running early in the mornings."

"Like Sakura?" Jun asked eyeing Syaoran.

"She still does?" Eriol asked.

Jun nodded but didn't say anything else. He was slowly realizing that his girlfriend's past relationship perhaps had been more than he thought.

Syaoran ignored him and walked to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and took out a bottle of water before reclining himself from the small bar. He observed his cousin doing her breakfast while he drank his water. Her puffy eyes were an indication that she hadn't slept at all last night. She was clearly not her usual self. By the temperature she put the stove on he could deduct she would without a doubt burn her breakfast. She hadn't heated the milk for her coffee which meant when she tasted her cup of coffee she would most likely get pissed because it wasn't hot enough.

"I texted him this morning." He softly said knowing that her absentmindedly movements must have come from not knowing if Kyu was alright.

"I don't care." She quickly said before hissing at her scrambled eggs getting stuck in the pan due to overheating it.

Syaoran smiled and shook his head. "Pretending not to care will not make it true. You should know that. He's still pissed."

She turned the stove off and put her scrambled eggs in a plate. She scratched the pan until the rest of her breakfast would land on her plate as well. She took her cup of coffee and was about to pour the milk inside it but Syaoran grabbed the small cup of milk and put it in the microwave before she could use it on her cup of coffee. She watched him hit a minute before looking at her.

She tiredly sighed before looking down and softly saying to him, "He didn't even texted me last night."

He hugged his cousin. "You should have at least talked about this before you did it Meiling."

"I know I was wrong," she softly said as she hugged him back.

"Good. Then you know where you need to start. Eat and dress up. We're going riding today."

She kept hugging him and sighed, "I don't feel like riding."

He chuckled, "probably till you see your horse outside." He hated to see her unhappy and riding had been something she always loved to do. He turned to the table where the rest of the group was sitting talking with each other. "Where's Sakura?"

Jun narrowed his eyes at him.

"She has a headache." Meiling answered him.

He nodded. Ignoring Jun's irritating stare he look at him and said, "Tell her we'll be riding later today." With that said, he let go of Meiling and walked down the stairs with his bottle of water in hand.

"You know Jun? He's not a bad person once you get to know him." Tomoyo softly said.

Jun nodded at Tomoyo's comment but still didn't feel comfortable at all. Doubt flooded his mind and that was something he truly disliked. The more he knew the guy, the more he kept feeling the distance growing between him and Sakura. He had just found out his girlfriend had yet another thing in common with Li. It was hard enough for him to have waited for Sakura to be able to open up to him in the past and now he was finding out that her last relationship had a lot of things in common with her. And he didn't like that at all.

~ o ~ 

In the afternoon, everyone got ready to go riding just like Syaoran had proposed. The guys saddle the horses while the girls talked among themselves. Meiling was still feeling hurt over Kyu but still went along hoping this ride would get her mind off things. Although Sakura was still feeling the remains of the headache she still didn't want to miss this. It would be the first time she would go riding. So they all got into the horses and followed Syaoran who was leading the group.

While most of the terrain was covered by trees, Syaoran led them through a path that was easier for the horses to handle. Walking through the way the sound of water flowing could be heard. After several minutes a river could be seen from a distance. Clear waters ran through the rocks in a playful and inviting way.

"This place is really beautiful." Sakura commented.

"Auntie still comes here from time to time when she needs to find peace." Eriol smirked. "We used to come here a lot when we were kids. Remember Syaoran?"

Syaoran nodded but didn't stop riding. He rode till the river got louder. A couple of steps after, a waterfall could be seen at a distance falling from the top part of the mountain. It truly was a sight to remember. The afternoon sun hit the water cascade as it was falling to the river and misty drops covered the river where the waterfall met the river below.

"I remember when auntie found out we were throwing ourselves from the top of the waterfall..." Eriol laughed. "Man, what a time..." He smirked at the memory.

"You did what?" Sakura asked before chuckling "And, should I ask, who was the mastermind behind that idea?"

Eriol smirked. "You really didn't think Syaoran was a good kid when he was little, did you...? Why did you think Auntie sent him so far off?"

He felt Tomoyo hit him playfully in his arm. "That's mean Eriol!"

Syaoran smirked, "I never heard you complaining about it. And, let's not forget, she also sent you far away too."

She laughed. "Did you come here too Meiling?"

She nodded as she remembered the sweet memory and softly said, "Yeah." She was glad she had agreed on going horse riding with her cousins, but that still wasn't enough to get the sadness out of her heart. She had planned this trip having in mind that Kyu would be here seeing this same sight with her and yet everything had changed. She had hoped their fight wouldn't last long as it did with any other fights they've had before but this time it was different and she felt it.

She had spent the entire ride thinking about his last words before leaving and they only left her with one thought in her mind… He wasn't trying anymore. He was done with her. And that message was exactly what scared her the most. Before, they could be mad at each other but still they were both willing to talk and fix everything. Now, she wasn't sure anymore.

"Eriol, what do you say if we jump once today for old time sake?" Syaoran smirked as he looked at his cousin.

Sakura quickly looked at him, "You wouldn't!"

He smirked again and got off his horse.

"Are you sure man? I mean, I don't know why but today it kind of looks a little bigger than it was back then." Eriol doubtfully said.

Syaoran scoffed. "Wimp!"

"I'll go!" Meiling quickly said.

"What?" Sakura asked as she turned her head to look at her getting off her horse like Syaoran did.

"Meiling…" Eriol was about to say something but she interrupted him.

"You guys didn't let me do it before. I'm doing it now." Meiling confidently said.

Syaoran looked at Eriol and smirked again. "That actually makes you look worst than a wimp."

Eriol narrowed his eyes and started getting off his horse as well.

"Eriol?" Tomoyo's trembling voice was heard. "You do understand I want to marry you as a whole, not just parts of you right…?" She nervously smiled.

"It's okay babe. Nothing will happen." He assured her.

"You're all crazy. That waterfall must be at least thirty feet tall." Jun exclaimed looking at the waterfall.

"Are you coming?" Syaoran asked Sakura.

She had been silent while she had watched them decide if they were going to do it or not. She looked back at the waterfall and something inside of her made her wonder. The adrenaline, the rush, the excitement of trying something new it was something she hadn't felt in a long time.

"Off course she's not going! We're not going." Jun quickly said.

Syaoran waited for Sakura's answer. He could see the curiosity in her eyes.

The idea that they were about to jump from a waterfall into the river was unmistakably appealing to her. She turned her eyes from the top of the waterfall into the river and she smiled to herself before getting off her horse as well.

"Sakura!" Jun called.

She looked at him and said, "Just this once." She turned around and walked towards the group.

"Babe, are you staying?" Eriol asked Tomoyo.

She nodded. "You know I'm not doing that."

He went to her and kissed her hand before turning around and walking off with Syaoran and the rest of the girls. After twenty minutes escalading their way into the top of the waterfall, the view seemed more intimidating than before. Sakura took in how far it looked down below and her nerves got worst. As they reached the top, Syaoran was the first to test the waters.

"Well, it's a little cold but not something that can't be handled." He smiled as he got in. The water reached a little above his waist.

"You know what I'm thinking?" Eriol asked Syaoran.

Syaoran shook his head. "No, but I know you'll tell me. You usually talk a lot when you're nervous."

Eriol chuckled as he got inside the water. "Hahaha funny!" he sarcastically said. "But in all honesty, now that I see this waterfall again I can comprehend auntie before. I can actually see why she scolded us when she found out."

Syaoran smirked. "Come on." He offered Meiling his hand so she could get inside the water and then helped Sakura getting in.

"This is truly crazy." Sakura nervously smiled as she grabbed Syaoran's hand and walked into the waters.

"It's not that bad once you're in." Syaoran said to her.

"Really? I think the hard part is not even been in the water, is actually jumping."

He chuckled. He looked towards Meiling who was following Eriol to the middle part of the waters.

"Are you okay?" Eriol asked her.

She dismissed his words with a wave of her hand and loudly said, "I'm doing this!"

They both chuckled. Sakura looked at Syaoran as he enjoyed watching his cousin's fiery side. Meiling pushed Eriol out of her way and prepared herself to jump which made Syaoran laugh. As he looked back at her she quickly looked away so he wouldn't catch her looking at him. "You used to do this when you were kids?"

He smiled at her. "It's really okay."

"Is it deep enough?"

He nodded. He got close enough to her and whispered in her ear, "Trust me. I'll be right behind you." Before he grabbed her hand and walked her towards the middle as well. As they were walking towards the middle, Meiling got on top of the rock that created the waterfall and looked down. She thought for a couple of seconds before finally jumping.

They all heard her screams before finally hitting the water.

"Well, she made it!" Eriol enthusiastically chuckled as he watched his cousin coming up for air. He looked behind to see Syaoran bringing Sakura. "Well Sakura, ladies first."

She looked at Eriol in front of her and nodded. She walked towards the middle and silently looked below. The sight was terrifying! She looked towards her right where Eriol was waiting for her and said, "I think it's better if you go first."

"You're not having seconds thoughts are you?" Eriol asked her.

She quickly shook her head and tried to be brave. "No. But perhaps if I look at you doing it, it'll be easier for me to jump." She said to try to convince him.

Eriol shrugged. "You know, if you feel that bad you can jump with one of us." He suggested.

Sakura thought for a minute on the offer. In one hand, she wouldn't feel that bad about jumping but on the other hand she would most likely have a problem with Jun afterwards. Although it was no secret to any of them, except her now boyfriend Jun, the one she still trusted the most was Syaoran. Eriol was her friend, but it wasn't the same feeling of trust as with Syaoran. So she looked at Eriol and softly said, "We both know that, although your idea is good and I truly appreciate it, it will get me in trouble later. So, I think that my idea is better."

He smiled at her. "Okay." He moved in front of her and got up into the rock. He looked at his girlfriend who had her hands covering her eyes and waved at her. He watched her shake her head which meant she was actually looking regardless of her covering hands which made him smile.

"I love you!" he yelled so Tomoyo could hear him.

"Oh, jump already you idiot!" Syaoran grunted from behind.

Sakura chuckled as she watched Eriol looked below for a couple of seconds, like Meiling did, and jumped. "Woohoo! Yeah!" was all they heard until he hit the water.

Sakura laughed. Ever since she had known Eriol, he had always been so careful with Tomoyo's feelings it was actually funny to watch him doing something she didn't agreed on. Not just agreed on but she was totally against it. Watching him jump before her made her actually feel more excited than she was even if it was frightening. Sakura slowly walked towards the rock and got on top of it. The look from above the rock was even worst.

He watched her hesitate before saying, "When you hit the water, quickly swim to the top. I'll be right behind you."

She nodded. She nervously laughed and murmured, "I can't believe I'm doing this." She took a deep breath and jumped. She screamed as she felt the wind rapidly sucking her skin for a couple of seconds before she felt the cold touch of the water on her skin again. She opened her eyes under the water and tried to adjust her sight. All she saw was rocks around her. When she looked up, she knew she was way far from the top. She did as Syaoran told her and swam to the top when she heard him getting in. He had landed a couple of inches away from her. She swam to the top and, just like he had said, he swam to the top behind her.

When she reached the surface, she took a deep breath again before getting her hair out of her face and laughed. "That was amazing!" She was out of breath but still laughing at her new learned experience.

Syaoran appeared on the surface catching up his breath as well and laughing. "Woah!"

"You're such a show off Syaoran! I want to go again!" Meiling said. She was still in the river looking bitterly at her cousin.

Sakura looked from Meiling to Syaoran laughing, "What did you do?"

He smirked.

"He flipped on the air several times before actually making it into the water." Eriol laughing said.

Sakura rolled her eyes and shook her head at him.

Meiling went towards him and jokingly tried to push him down towards the water again. Syaoran only laughed as he grabbed her hands and threw her a little far away from him.

"Hey, that's my cousin you're throwing!" Eriol said before splashing water towards him. Syaoran splashed him back as they started playing like if they were still nine and ten years old.

Sakura just stood inside the water laughing at the sight. She heard Tomoyo from the shore of the river say, "Wait for me baby!" before she started to get into the river as well. She went straight towards Syaoran claiming she had to defend her boyfriend while also splashing him.

"This is not fair! It's three against one!" Syaoran said while laughing as Meiling again tried to catch him from behind. He easily turned around and again threw her a little away from him while receiving Eriol's and Tomoyo's splashes of water. The whole scene unfolded itself in front of Sakura's eyes and it made her laugh harder than she had been before.

Jun stayed watching the whole scene from the side. He had gotten down from his horse but didn't go in. Something made him stop. He watched as his girlfriend laughed as he had never seen her before. She was just staying at the side without getting involved in the whole fight but it didn't stop the way he was feeling about this whole situation. He was pissed as he narrowed his eyes and something inside his head snapped.

~ o ~ 

After getting back from the river, they dressed up to go out for the night. They had decided to visit this new club that had just opened a couple of weeks ago. Syaoran decided to take his own car while the rest drove in Eriol's SUV. While they were on the road, Eriol had called in to separate a table for them. Experience had taught him that whenever they decided to go out together it was always a good idea to get a VIP room just for them. Otherwise fans would just have the night of their lives with them.

They reached the club and walked in. Like Eriol had expected, several fans stopped them on their way to their table on the VIP side of the club to take pictures with them. Fifteen minutes later, they finally reached their table. The guys went to the bar to get them some drinks while the girls waited on the table. Sakura watched the dance floor full of people swaying their bodies to the rhythm of the music.

"This place is full!" Tomoyo said.

"I know. I heard it has been like this since they opened a couple of weeks ago. It's the talk around the street." Meiling explained. She was looking around the club as well when she saw Kyu entering the club. But he wasn't alone… A brown haired woman accompanied him on his side with natural curls and red lipstick that screamed she lacked attention. He stopped by the bar to greet the guys.

Tomoyo gasped surprised at the sight and put her hands on her lips when she saw him enter. Sakura quickly turned around and looked at Meiling. "Do not let him see that you're mad."

"That would actually require for me to be mad Sakura, which I assure you I am worst than mad right now."

"Do not give him the satisfaction of knowing it's working then."

~ o ~ 

"Hey guys!" Kyu greeted Eriol, Jun and Syaoran on the bar. "This is Aria."

Jun smiled to her and greeted her by extending his hand. "Hi, I'm Jun. Nice to meet you."

She smiled and nodded while shaking his hand.

Eriol followed and politely extended his hands as well. "I'm Eriol."

She did the same and smiled. She gave Syaoran a flirty look and waited for him to do the same, but he on the other hand just stared at Kyu. He was sure Kyu was hurt after his fight with Meiling, but to bring another woman with him to a club he clearly knew Meiling was in made him wonder if his friend had indeed lost his mind.

Kyu simply ignored his look and decided to get a bartender to order his drink. The girl looked at Kyu and whispered something in his ear before excusing herself.

~ o ~ 

Meiling had watched everything. She watched with eagle eyes till the girl entered the bathroom. She grabbed her pouch and was about to walk away but Sakura stopped her.

"Where are you going?"

She looked at Sakura. "I need to use the ladies room. Do I need to ask for your permission now?"

"Oh wait! I need to go too!" Tomoyo said as well.

"So do I." Sakura smirked.

The three of them walked into the bathroom. As usual, there was a line in waiting for the next toilet available but Sakura didn't see the girl at all on the line. The three of them stood on line and waited.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Sakura asked Meiling. Suddenly, Meiling started throwing a fit on the bathroom. She started crying hysterically as she hugged Tomoyo.

"Oh, I can't believe this is happening to me. Of all the things that could happen this by far is the worst. That bastard of Kyu. Oh, I can't believe I fell for it girls. He was just so charming, I mean... How could I have known that he just wanted to play with me?"

Sakura looked at her confused. 'What the heck is she talking about? They've known each other for years.'

"Meiling?" Tomoyo said as she looked confused at Sakura.

Meiling kept balling on Tomoyo's shoulders, "That asshole, he never told me he had an STD and now I have it too. What am I supposed to do now?" she kept crying.

From one of the toilets, a brown haired woman came out and looked at them curiously. Sakura watch her wash her hands and looking at them before walking out. The moment she passed her by, Sakura knew exactly what had just happened. She chuckled. "Don't you think you went a little overboard?"

Meiling scoffed and quickly went to the mirror to fix herself. "Well, at least now I know he won't be sleeping with that whore tonight."

Tomoyo sighed, "Meiling, did you honestly think he would sleep with her even if he's not with you right now? He won't be happy when he finds out what you just said."

"Serves him right." she said before getting her lipstick out of her clutch and applying it. She smiled sweetly at them, "I'm done. We can go back now." She closed her pouch and walked right out the door.

~ o ~ 

"Are you sure you know what you're doing Kyu?" Syaoran curiously asked.

He nodded. "I'm done playing your cousin's games."

Syaoran nodded. He could understand his friend. Meiling had never been an easy woman to handle, that's for sure. Even when they were younger she had always been too much to handle for Eriol and him. Most of the time, they would get in trouble because of her too.

"Well, here comes Aria." Eriol alerted them so they stopped talking about her.

She walked towards them without bothering to look back at who she was hitting with her strides. When she arrived in front of Kyu, she quickly slapped his face. "How could you? You have an STD and you weren't going to tell me about it? Well, you don't have to anymore. Don't even bother coming after me!" was all she said before walking furiously towards the door.

Kyu touched his cheek. After seeing Syaoran's murderous face he quickly defended himself, "Are you crazy? I'm clean man."

Eriol chuckled, "I think Kyu's right Syaoran." He nodded towards the direction of the bathroom where the girls were lively chatting while coming back towards them.

Kyu narrowed his eyes and went straight towards her. He grabbed Meiling's wrist, "We need to talk!"

"Let go of me! We are done, remember?" she tried to get out of his grip but he stood his ground.

"Let's go!" He forced her to walk behind her towards the exit doors. The club was no place to talk with her and they both knew it.

Eriol smirked. "Ah, I'm sure you'll agree with me in saying she hasn't changed a bit."

Syaoran chuckled and looked as Kyu dragged his cousin out of the door. He was about to reply to Eriol's comment when something caught his attention. He saw his little sister entering the club with Xiun at her side. He narrowed his eyes. What the heck was she doing at his side? At the sight of their hands joined, he immediately stood up and walked towards them.

Eriol scoffed without understanding why his cousin had suddenly walked away.

Sakura and Tomoyo reached Eriol's side laughing right after Syaoran had abruptly left. Tomoyo hugged her boyfriend, "Where's Syaoran going?"

He shrugged, "I didn't say anything wrong."

Sakura looked where he was going and froze. "Oh, no!" She quickly followed Syaoran's steps.

Eriol curiously looked at her and followed her gaze. Suddenly everything made sense. He understood immediately when he saw Xiun laughing and whispering something in Feimei's ear that made her laugh. "Not good." He grabbed Tomoyo's hand and walked towards all of them as well.

"What in the world is wrong with these people?" Jun said before grabbing his drink and Sakura's and following Eriol.

Feimie laughed. "I told you this would be good. It's new. Some of my friends came last week and they loved it."

"Well babe you know how I need to be careful especially with the tournament so close now." he whispered before giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

She smiled while looking at him. Then her smile turned to a surprise gasp when she saw her brother standing in front of them.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her.

"Syaoran! Aren't you supposed to be in the cabin?"

He looked at Xiun. If looks could kill, people would be planning Xiun's funeral after this. Syaoran could easily kill this guy right now. "Let go of my sister right now."

"Syaoran! Look man-" he started saying but Syaoran didn't let him continue.

"Did you not hear me?" Syaoran could see he had already frightened Xiun already.

Xiun looked away trying to find a way out of this one but it was Feimei who spoke this time. "He won't. He's my boyfriend."

He widened his eyes and looked at his sister, "Your boyfriend? I think he'll be more like a punching bag in a few minutes if he doesn't let go of your hand right now."

"Man, I love your sister."

He looked back Xiun questioning his answer. "You what?" If he was mad before, it had just gotten worst. He grabbed Xiun's shirt furiously. "You want to repeat that again?"

"Syaoran stop!" Feimie pleaded and yet he didn't. She felt Xiun tighten his hold on her instantly.

Sakura reached the scene and got in the middle of them. She quickly took Syaoran's hand out of Xiun's shirt. "What are you doing? Are you crazy! This is no place to start a fight."

Syaoran sternly looked at her, "You knew about this?"

She rolled her eyes and then turned around. "Xiun, let Feimei go."

"But Sakura!" Feimei protested.

"If you care for your boyfriend just do it, Feimei." She quickly said.

Feimei looked at Sakura and then let go of her boyfriend's hand. Instantly she felt Syaoran grabbed her and dragged her out similarly like Kyu had dragged Meiling out.

Xiun stared at the door where his girlfriend had just walked out of and sighed.

She looked at Xiun's broken face. "Go home and don't worry too much about it. I'll talk to him." She smiled before looking back at Eriol. "I think this night's over."

He kept staring at Xiun. He could almost believe the guy had a dead wish to be dating Li's little sister. There was no way he didn't know that. "Let's go." He walked with his girlfriend out as Jun put the drinks aside, grabbed Sakura's hand and walked her out as well.

Eriol gave a ticket to a guy and the four of them waited for the valet guy to bring Eriol's SUV to the front. He hugged Tomoyo as he waited. Behind them, he could hear Jun incessantly talking to Sakura.

"You know, I don't understand why you have to talk to him Sakura. You talked to Feimei. She knew she had to talk to her brother for this not to happen. It's her fault that she's in this. I mean, what will you change by just talking to him?"

Jun's way of thinking made Eriol chuckled. Tomoyo looked up to see what was so amusing when suddenly he said, "It's not just what she's able of changing, but what she'll avoid as well."

Jun looked at him and quickly asked, "What?"

"Your question…" Eriol looked at him still hugging Tomoyo, "I'm not sure if you know this about your girlfriend but she's good at dealing with difficult situations. This is one of the reasons why she's good as a project manager and developer. And she's the only one that has been able to get Syaoran see reason when he's in this mood." He looked at Sakura and sadly smiled, "That still hasn't changed."

Sakura disapprovingly looked at Eriol as she hugged her boyfriend and sighed. Since they had come back from the river she had felt him on edge and this incident had probably made it worst.

~ o ~ 

The car ride was silent. She was looking out the window not even daring to look at her brother. She knew from the moment she had decided to date Xiun that the news wouldn't sit well with him but to almost fight him because of it was just out of control. "That was very immature of you." she softly said not wanting to provoke much conversation from him.

"Don't speak to me about immature things." He said while concentrating on the road ahead. He was driving towards the house thinking about this new development in his family. The drive wasn't long from the club to his house. It was only an hour away. The long drive would be driving back the three hours to the cabin. He didn't know what pissed him off the most, if it was his little sister dating that moron or the fact that Sakura knew all along and didn't say anything.

"Why not? You're going to tell me it wasn't?"

"You shouldn't be dating that moron."

"Why? I'm not a kid anymore, I am a woman. I will date whoever I like."

He quickly looked at her before looking back at the road. "You are my sister, and that moron should have known better than to lay eyes on you."

She scoffed, "I never tell you who to date, so don't tell me who I can or can't date."

"You can date many other guys who don't have anything to do with soccer. Or even better, who don't belong to my team."

"I will date who I please."

He shook his head, "Don't tempt me Feimei."

She knew he had always been overly protective of her. There was no way of avoiding this even if she had wanted to. This definitely would've gone better if Sakura had hooked up with him over the weekend. Sighing, she waited patiently till he reached their house and parked the car in front of it. "I won't stop seeing him just because you want me to."

"You don't have to. If he has a brain he'll do it on his own."

She looked at him and shook her head before getting out. She threw the door closed making sure he noticed how pissed she was with him before reaching for her phone. She saw him doing a U-turn before leaving towards the cabin. She dialed the only person who she knew could help her, Sakura.

_Hello!_

"Sakura, that idiot doesn't want to listen to me," she was almost in tears because of her brother. There was usually nothing he couldn't get whenever he set his mind to do so.

_Don't worry about him. I already told Xiun I would speak to him. For now, lay low and just talk to your boyfriend over the phone while I see what I can do.  
_  
"I won't stop seeing him Sakura!"

_Calm down Feimei. Did your brother leave?  
_  
Yes.

_Call your boyfriend and let me worry about Syaoran.  
_  
She nodded and replied, "Okay!" Sakura's assurance of talking to her brother calmed her down little by little. Looking at her phone once more, she dialed her boyfriend.

~ o ~ 

Their night at the club had ended even before it even started thanks to Meiling's little stunt. Tonight could be written in Sakura's life as the shortest hangout she ever had. She changed into her pajamas and started reading her book on her bed like she used to do every night.

Jun was looking for his pajamas on the side when he suddenly looked at her. "Let's get married."

Sakura immediately stopped reading her book and looked at him, "What?"

He stared at her before walking towards her side and sitting down next to her. "You know I love you Sakura. Today, I just realized that I can't love anyone else." He looked at her. "I would do anything for you."

She stared at him. "I know all of this, but why now?"

"We've already talked about this love. We both know what we want. I'm going into politics while you already have your profession and we have accepted each other as we are. We already live with each other. We both knew it was going to happen just hadn't set the date yet. But I just," he took her hand before saying, "I feel that we're ready to take this step already. We love each other and I'm sure that's not going to change. So why keep waiting? Now, I don't want to do anything official till I ask your father for your hand but I want to know how you feel about it before I do."

**Author's Note:** Okay guys! Chapter 7 done : ) Let me know what you think about this one. Again, to those that reviewed my previous chapters I thank you. I really enjoy reading what you think about the chapters and the story so far.


	8. Chapter 8 - Epiphany

"_**Epiphany – intuitive insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple commonplace occurrence or experience." – Word of the Day**_

**Chapter 8  
"Epiphany"**

The sun shined through Syaoran's window on a Sunday morning. Looking at the time, he quickly got out of bed to get ready for training. Last night he had come in late but that was no excuse to not exercising in the morning as planned. He put his sweats along with his running shoes and a t-shirt on before walking out of his room. Although he had agreed on taking vacations it was very important to stay in shape according to him and now more than ever since the tournament was so near. He began to put his music gear on when he found Sakura in the kitchen. She had her back towards him as he saw her battering eggs to make breakfast. He was still pissed off because of last night but even if he wanted to ignore her he never could. He put on hold his plan of going running for a second and instead reclined himself from the fridge. "Why didn't you tell me she was dating Xiun?" he casually asked.

She quickly turned around startled at the sudden sound of his voice and sighed, "aish... you scared me! Good morning to you too!" she said as an afterthought before continuing what she was doing.

"I'm not in the mood for good mornings."

She kept doing what she was doing and calmly said, "And then you ask why I didn't tell you." She mixed the eggs with some ham and started battering the mix again like she had done before.

"What is that supposed to mean?" He asked.

She tiredly sighed but kept preparing her breakfast normally while talking to him. "Look at you right now. You're acting like a demented overprotective brother only because you found your sister dating Xiun."

He crossed his hands and said, "He's not good enough for her Sakura!"

She nodded and sarcastically said, "Oh, according to you… because you are the best person at knowing what's best for your sister, right?" She put the pan over the stove and turned the stove on at medium heating level. She turned around and found Syaoran reclined on the fridge. "Excuse me."

He looked at her and after a couple of seconds moved.

She took out the butter from the fridge and turned around towards the stove again.

He bitterly looked at her while trying to explain his point. "Sakura! The guy is not even smart. He's lazy, doesn't like working... You're going to tell me a guy like that it's what's best for my sister?"

She scoffed and turned around not believing what she had just heard and curiously looked at him before narrowing her eyes at him. "Let me guess… And all of this you've deducted from the way he plays? You're basing his character on his ability to play on the field? I'm sorry Syaoran but your arguments are not even valid."

"He could even be after her because of her money."

Sakura easily dismissed his comment by rolling her eyes and taking a deep breath before saying, "You're wrong! He is smart! You don't know him."

"If he would've been smart he wouldn't have dare go out with her in the first place." He said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh please Syaoran… he is smart and I'm sure there's a difference between doesn't like to work and doesn't like working out like you."

He stared at her. He ran through that last comment she said before asking, "How long have they been going out?"

She smiled and shook her head, a signal that she wasn't going to answer his question and instead told him, "I suggest you stop working out so much and take time to know your teammates outside of the field as well."

"I don't have time for that!" he exasperatedly said.

"Then make time!" she quickly snapped at him.

Jun walked in and saw them glaring at each other almost about to pounce on each other, "Good morning, is everything alright here?"

"No!" They both said at the same time.

Sakura sighed and smiled sweetly at her boyfriend, "I'm sorry baby. Do you want your eggs scrambled or fried today?"

"Scrambled."

Syaoran rolled his eyes and put his earphones on, "I'm going for a run." He turned around and walked towards the door. Sakura could have sworn she heard a mumble coming from him along the lines of getting sick before leaving but she didn't pay much attention to it.

"Is he okay?" Jun asked her.

"Are you really concerned?" she curiously asked.

He shook his head. "I still stand by what I said last night. I don't understand why you need to talk to him about his sister."

She sighed and went back to making breakfast. The best way to get Jun to calm down was to ignore him. Although he was her boyfriend, there was no way she would do things just because he didn't feel they were right.

"You slept here last night?" Jun asked.

Sakura looked back at him asking herself if he had gone insane but saw that he was actually talking to Kyu who had just appeared from the stairs.

Kyu walked into the living room rubbing his eyes from sleep and nodded. "Meiling and I had a long talk last night."

"So everything's okay between you two?" Jun asked.

"Not entirely but we're working on it. Did Syaoran leave already?"

Jun nodded.

Kyu grunted before complaining, "Why can't he ever wait for us?" He turned around towards his room again to get ready to run with Eriol.

Jun waited for Kyu to be out of hearing distance before turning towards his girlfriend, "I'm surprised you're not running with them."

Sakura could hear the sarcasm in his tone but calmly responded, "What's so surprising about that? Last time I checked I wasn't a soccer player needing to stay in shape."

"I'm sure you know what I mean."

She finished cooking his scrambled eggs and put them on a plate. She passed by him with both of their plates and set them on the table. Then she turned back to get their coffee and did the same before sitting down.

Jun watched her as she passed by him to set everything on the table. He shook his head but walked over and sat where she had prepared his breakfast. "Did you used to run with him too?"

She took a deep breath before putting her toast down back on the plate and looking at him. "I am trying to eat breakfast. This is my last vacation day and the least thing I want to do right now is to go back seven years ago to let you know about how my entire relationship with Syaoran was." First the fight with Syaoran this morning and now this… She was already tired of having to explain everything to him. The fact that he couldn't move past it was just getting more and more annoying.

"So you don't think I have the right to know."

"Honestly, I don't care whether you have the right or not. I don't want to talk about the same thing over and over again." She realized she had just snapped at before taking a deep breath again and looking at her breakfast. "I'm not even hungry anymore." She ran her hand through her hair before getting up from the table and walking back towards her room.

It had been a long time since she had lost control like that but he was just driving her crazy with this whole jealousy thing. I mean, couldn't he just give it up already? Last night he had asked her to get married then this morning he was jealous again. She went through her things and changed her clothes to workout. She needed a run. After fifteen minutes she was ready and walked back out with her phone in an arm band and her earphones hanging.

"Are you serious?" Jun watched her from the table and got up to stop her before she reached the door. He grabbed her arm and turned her towards him. "You know how I feel about this and you still plan on going running with him?"

She got out of his hold and fiercely stared at him. "I will do as I please. If you don't like it, that's your problem."

Jun stared at her. He had never seen this side of her before.

"Is everything alright?" Eriol asked coming up the stairs as well. He had seen the entire thing but waited for the right moment to appear. This little lover's quarrel had indeed been interesting.

Sakura sighed. "We'll talk when I get back." With that said, she turned around and walked out of the door.

Eriol smirked.

Kuy walk up the stairs as well putting his headphones on. "You're still here? Come on man, Syaoran must be like a mile away already."

Eriol nodded and walked towards the door with Kyu in front. It appears his little conniving cousin had been right all along. This weekend had indeed been good so far. He looked at Jun and smiled shaking his head as he walked out of the door. He looked up front, looked right, and looked left till he saw Sakura entering the woods through the same way they had gone riding. "Kyu, tell Syaoran I'm running with Sakura today."

Kyu curiously looked at him, "What?"

"I don't want her to get lost." He simply said before running towards her direction.

Kyu looked at Eriol and frowned but shrugged it off before running away to try to catch Syaoran.

~ o ~ 

Sakura kept running not minding she had never been through these woods before. She wasn't even concentrated on the way she was going. Her thoughts occupied all of her mind right now. She was frustrated at everything that was happening in her life starting by Jun's little proposal last night. He had been so sure at assuring her that they both felt the same way when it wasn't true. He didn't trust her at all and perhaps he had every right not to do so.

Last night she hadn't been able to get Syaoran off her mind. She couldn't sleep again but this time she knew why. The only thing that made her feel comfortable to sleep again was the sound of his door opening and closing which let her know that he had arrived safely. She had been worried after seeing his reaction towards his sister, then his decision of taking her back home, and finally driving three hours back alone towards the cabin.

Eriol's words ran through her mind as well. She had always been able to get through to Syaoran. Even when they had a fight, she was able to make him listen before acting. And last night was proof that Eriol's words had indeed been true. Syaoran still listened to her as if nothing had changed between them but then why did it bothered her so much?

She kept running while going through last night's events on her head again. Then realization came to her, it wasn't that he still listened to her what was really bothering her, it was the tone in which he asked her if she knew about his sister. It made her feel guilty. It made her feel apologetic. It still made her feel. She had tried so hard to leave him on the past. She fought every thought that came to her mind concerning Syaoran and yet she couldn't make this go away. She still felt conscious about his thoughts on her.

Her plan had backfired. It wasn't that Syaoran couldn't be friends with her, it was that she still felt something when it came to him. She looked at the river and stopped jogging before looking at her watch. She had been running for an hour and a half without even noticing. Yesterday's events were still fresh in her mind as she looked up to see the river again.

_"Trust me. I'll be right behind you."_

She didn't want him behind her, she wanted him hugging her again, to feel his caresses on her face again, to have their long walks of talking nonsense just because none of them wanted to say goodbye. She wanted that night of eating ice cream with him on the sofa back again, to be in his arms, to feel his lips again. She was frustrated as she sighed.

"Sakura!"

She turned around as she heard her name. "Eriol! What are you doing here?"

He smiled at her, "I saw you jogging this way. I wasn't sure if you knew your way back."

She nodded and smile. "Thanks."

He walked towards her slowly catching his breath till he was at her side. He started to watch the river as well before saying, "I saw your little lover's quarrel by the way."

She chuckled, "Which relationship doesn't have them?"

He chuckled but this time stared at her before cautiously saying, "You might want to be careful when you do have them."

She stared at him back wondering what he meant by that but didn't say anything.

"You know, the first time I saw you with Jun I thought that perhaps you had changed throughout the years. I thought perhaps you had become more lenient, permissive, more accepting towards men like him. But then we spend some time together and something just didn't add up. After starting to know the guy it didn't make sense to me how you could still be with a guy like him."

She rolled her eyes at him and tiredly sighed, "Out of everyone Eriol, you are the one I least expected to meddle with my decisions. Can't you please leave it like that?"

"This morning it clicked." He looked at her and smiled. "You're not with Jun because you love him, you're with him to keep Syaoran away."

She stared at him and quickly smiled dismissing his comment. "Don't be ridiculous Eriol."

"Am I being ridiculous Sakura?" he sighed before continuing. "You've always known Syaoran. Ever since you guys were together, you've always been able to read his moves. The man on the pool it's still undecided towards you and the only one that's keeping him from making his final decision when it comes to you is Jun." He looked back at her and smiled. "It's the only reason I can come up with that would explain why you would put up with a guy like that."

She was a little taken back with his assessment. "I forgot how perceptive you are, but Jun is not that bad of a person. As for your little assessment which, I find very interesting by the way, that wouldn't be my only reason to not go back to Syaoran even if I were to breakup with Jun."

"I thought you had already scratched the other one."

She smirked. "And the women? Clearly you don't think I could scratch that one."

He chuckled, "I didn't consider the women as one."

She scoffed, "You thought it wouldn't bother me to know he has slept with most of them? That the rumors are true?"

"I thought you would consider more the fact that he hasn't had a steady girlfriend since you left than the rumors of his countless playing nights. But just on his defense, not all the rumors are true."

"I know the ones that are, they are enough." She calmly said.

Her comment gave him the slightest idea that in fact it wasn't the ones in plural but just one specific night she was referring to. He sadly smiled at her and nodded. "For that you'll have to talk to him. But I will tell you this… If Syaoran were to see what I saw today he wouldn't hesitate at all to go after you again. Jun is not strong enough to fight Syaoran when it comes to you. But, just for the record, I will keep your secret."

She stared at him, "Why would you?"

"Let's just say I'm a good friend." Eriol said while stretching. "Jog back?"

She suspiciously smiled but nodded anyways. "Just for the record, there is no secret. Do not make the mistake of thinking that I don't love Jun."

Eriol smirked. "Whatever you say Sakura."

~ o ~ 

They came back jogging to the cabin. Kyu finished after Syaoran a little more tired than usual since Syaoran had a head start when he started jogging. When he reached the house, Syaoran was already stretching outside.

"Man, you couldn't even slow down or wait for me?" Kyu complained.

Syaoran smirked and shook his head, "I gave you a head start. I came back late last night and woke up thirty minutes later than usual. How's Meiling by the way?"

"We're working on it. You don't believe the stuff she made up, right?" he cautiously asked.

Syaoran chuckled. "Like I don't know my own cousin. You're lucky she just came up with STD." He sarcastically replied.

Kyu shook his head and sighed. "I don't find anything funny about it."

Syaoran laughed.

The door from the house suddenly opened and Jun quickly stepped out with a murderous glare on his face. "Where is my girlfriend?"

Kyu was about to answer but Syaoran stopped him with one hand and answered, "Shouldn't you know?"

Jun looked around but didn't see her with them. "She's running. I thought she was running with you."

Kyu stayed watching from behind silently as Syaoran stared defiantly at Jun. He knew there could only be one reason as to why Jun was asking that question to him… he was jealous. And if he was jealous, it only meant he wasn't sure of her feelings for him.

A smile slowly started to appear on Syaoran's face as he asked, "Did she already break up with you?"

Jun stared at him and menacingly narrowed his eyes. "You wish. As a matter of fact we are getting married. Didn't she tell you this morning?"

Kyu surprisingly gasped. "What?" he asked as he opened his eyes.

"You're lying." Syaoran confidently replied back but suddenly started to doubt as he saw Jun victoriously smile at him letting him know that he wasn't. He felt as a combination of feelings suddenly came awake. They had been laying dormant since Sakura had left that dreadful day and after Jun's words they had come back to life. A sense of wanting her, of having her again… The challenge felt too exciting for his competitive trait to stay calm and it was a Li trademark to never back down from a challenge. He was about to say something when he noticed Sakura coming from the trees on the right with Eriol behind her.

"Oh! You win." Eriol said stopping behind her to catch up his breath. They had decided to sprint the last mile.

Sakura laughed and turned towards him. "You're supposed to be a soccer player Eriol. How could you let me beat you?" She waited on him to catch up with her before walking together towards the house. "Syaoran never let me beat him once back when we were together."

"Oh!" Eriol tried to catch up his breath before saying, "that low life scoundrel doesn't even have pity for women when he works out."

Sakura laughed as she also tried to catch up her breath. "If he hears you talking about him like that he'll kill you."

Eriol laughed. "Tell me about it." He looked towards the house where a not-too-happy Syaoran waited for them with Kyu at his side. "You won't tell him that I said that, will you?" he quickly asked Sakura as they approached the house.

She smirked. "Scared now? Don't worry… your secret is safe with me." She also noticed Syaoran's face and was about to ask if he was alright till she saw Jun on the door. She took a deep breath before getting there.

"Well, did you guys just got here as well?" Eriol jokingly asked. He tried to clear the hostile air that had settled before Sakura and he arrived but it wasn't working. The intense look Syaoran gave Sakura was impossible to miss. He was trying to search something in her eyes and yet she didn't let him.

Sakura sighed as she approached them. She didn't dared look at Syaoran right now. "Can you guys please just go inside? I need to talk to Jun alone."

Eriol smiled and nodded as if nothing had been going on before they arrived. "Come on guys. You heard the lady." He looked at Syaoran to specify his point.

Syaoran looked away and walked inside the house. He still couldn't believe Jun's words but he couldn't ask right now either. He decided to wait for her to tell him. After all, if it was true, he knew she would tell him. 

~ o ~ 

She walked a couple of steps away from the house so they could talk without having to worry about someone listening. When she was satisfied with the distance, she turned around and waited for him to arrive.

"I'm sorry." Jun started talking. "I know we have talked about this before and I'm sorry."

Sakura sighed, "I meant what I said. I can't have you reminding me of the relationship I had seven years ago every time you see him."

"I know, and I'm sorry. It's just…" he sighed. "The more I know him the more I find things you two had in common and it gets to me."

Sakura shook her head. "Jun, all the things we had in common never kept us together in the past. If I ask you to trust me, why can't you just do it?"

"You're right." He quickly said. "I won't do it again. I love you Sakura. You know I do."

She sighed but nodded.

He approached her and hugged her. It was all Syaoran could see from the window of his room. He still couldn't believe the words he had just heard but nonetheless he took his clothes and walked towards the bathroom.

Meiling watched from the living room as her cousin got out of his room and walked straight to the bathroom. She hadn't liked his face when he entered the house. After he locked himself in the bathroom, she turned her face towards her boyfriend and asked, "What's wrong with Syaoran?"

Kyu looked at Meiling and then towards Eriol, "Eriol, you ran today with Sakura."

"Obviously," was his monotonous reply as he accepted the orange juice Tomoyo brought him with a smile while reading the sports news on his phone.

"Did she mention anything about getting married?"

"What?" Meiling asked.

Eriol almost spilled his drink but held it in. He was able to fully gulp down his juice before asking, "Where did you hear that?"

"Jun told us when we were outside."

"He must be lying!" Meiling quickly said.

"Meiling! I don't think he would lie about something like that." Tomoyo asked her. "I mean, they have talked about it, remember?"

"She can't marry that guy." Meiling looked at Eriol. "Did she say anything to you?"

Eriol shook his head while understanding Syaoran's face this morning. "She didn't mention anything." 

~ o ~ 

Angry, hitting borderline, he wanted to just snatch her away from his arms but he couldn't. He felt the shower water hitting his head as he tried to calm down. It couldn't be true. Jun's words couldn't be true. There was no way he could allow that. He had waited patiently for her knowing she still felt something for him and yet the words that came out of Jun's mouth had made him doubt.

She had never been someone who would make this kind of decision lightly. He knew that. So, why was he feeling like this? She wouldn't make that decision if she wasn't in love with the guy. She had always believed in marrying for love instead of convenience. There was no way she would accept a marriage proposal from him at all.

He was losing his mind. For too long he had searched for her. It couldn't be possible that, after finding her, something like this would happen. She didn't even love the guy. No! He knew in his heart she didn't love Jun at all. He needed to trust his intuition. He couldn't fall prey to Jun's games. He was better than this.

Taking deep breaths, he calmed down. Twenty minutes later he got out of the shower. He dressed up in some jeans and a short sleeve t-shirt before walking out. He found everyone on the table talking and eating breakfast, or more like brunch. Sakura was sitting at one of the corners from the table with Jun at her side. His first instinct was to search her left finger to see if she had a ring but she didn't. Jun must've been lying. He was about to approach the table as well when he heard something that made him stop.

"When we get married, I want three bridesmaids and one maid of honor." Tomoyo happily said.

Eriol smiled at her. "You can have as many as you want love."

Sakura stared at them and smirked. Eriol truly didn't like this whole planning for the wedding thing. He knew that as long as he agreed on anything he wouldn't have to deal with a pissed off girlfriend which worked a lot better for him.

"And how many groomsmen do you want to have?" Meiling evilly asked him.

He narrowed his eyes at her but then quickly looked at Tomoyo and smiled, "As many as Tomoyo wants."

Everyone laughed at his answer as Tomoyo complained, "Eriol… You're not even been serious about this."

"What? Baby, I am dead serious." He defensively said.

Tomoyo disapprovingly shook her head.

"How about you Sakura? How many bridesmaids would you have?" Eriol asked.

Sakura looked at him. She had never been asked that question before and she wasn't sure why he was asking it now. She was about to answer when a phone rang. She looked at the side to find Syaoran standing in the hallway. Their eyes met before he broke contact to find his phone on his pocket. He heard it ring for the third time before looking at the caller ID. It was his manager. He picked up the call and excused himself to talk outside in the balcony.

There was something wrong with him. She could see the turmoil behind his eyes before he had to search for his phone. How long had he been standing in that hallway staring at her? Was he still mad about this morning? She could tell he was hiding something but acted as if she hadn't noticed at all. She looked back at her friends on the table and answered Eriol's question. "I don't know yet. When the time comes, I'll worry about that. For now, I think that it's time I have another fight with your cousin about last night's events. So, if you'll excuse me." She quickly said while getting up from her seat.

Jun watched his girlfriend getting up from his side and walking towards the balcony. He still didn't agree with her having to talk to Syaoran but he didn't want to risk having another fight like this morning's with her.

"Aren't you going after her?" Meiling asked.

He looked back at her and narrowing his eyes defensively answered, "I trust my girlfriend." 

~ o ~ 

He closed the door behind him after walking out to the balcony and picked up the phone. "Hey!" He walked towards the wooden balcony railing and reclined his elbows on them while looking out towards the bushes.

_Have you decided on signing yet?_

"No. I'm still thinking about it." He heard his agent sigh at the other end and knew he wasn't happy with his answer.  
_  
Syaoran, they offered you 30 million dollars aside from the contract as a signing bonus if you sign now. Why are you delaying this? Eriol and Kyu already signed. You know this.  
_  
"Yeah, I know."  
_  
Then why are you delaying this? Is there anything else that you want me to negotiate for you?_

"No. It's not that. I... I'm just thinking about it."

_I wasn't aware that it would take this much thinking. You know they've been months wanting to close this deal with us.  
_  
"I know Choi. I just want to make sure that it is the right decision."

_Okay, then at least give me a tentative date on when they can receive your answer. They've been calling me nonstop asking me what you're going to do.  
_  
He sighed, "I know. I'm sorry. Just tell them I'm still thinking about it."

_You know that's not what they want to keep hearing.  
_  
"Then just tell them you haven't been able to reach me."

_I'm not lying for you Syaoran. You know that. The whole point of your vacations was to think about this. That's what you told me. I'll tell them you asked for two more weeks. Make sure by then you know what you want to do with your future.  
_  
He clicked the end button and sighed. Choi was right. He should've had an answer by now and yet he just kept stalling. And the worst part of everything was that he knew what had changed. He knew what was stopping him from making that decision.

He slightly looked back at the sound of the door and saw Sakura close the door after getting out but didn't move to acknowledge her. In fact he stayed reclined as he looked back out at the forest sight while still passing his phone from one hand to the other.

Sakura walked towards him and reclined her lower back from the balcony so she could see his face while he tried to ignore her. "I'm sorry about this morning."

He looked at her trying to act natural, "That'll be the first. May I record it? It's not very often I hear that coming from you."

She softly smiled, "that doesn't mean I didn't mean it."

He scoffed and shook his head. "He's still not good enough for her."

She smiled. It still amazed her how he could be as immature as a small child for some things while for others he would be all manly. "She's your sister Syaoran but she likes him a lot. And honestly I haven't seen her like that about a guy in a long time." She heard him grunt which was a good thing. It was his way of communicating that even though he didn't like what she was saying he was still listening. "If you keep this up you will only make her distance herself from you."

He sighed. "If you wouldn't have gotten in the way I would have seriously kicked his ass last night."

She chuckled, "Did you honestly wanted to do that?"

"I'm sure I would have felt a lot better than I do now after doing so too." He jokingly said.

She chuckled and shook her head at his childish comment, "Please... The only thing you would have felt was your knuckles hurting right now and then we would have to hear you complain about putting on the ice bag." She smirked. "Not counting how you would have to explain his injuries to your coach next week. And then you would probably-"

He grunted while looking away, "Alright, I get the picture."

"Good! I still think you should spend some time with him outside of the field so you get to know him better. He's not as bad as you think."

"We're not friends you know... We are teammates. It's different"

"Oh come on Syaoran, you are friends with some of your teammates outside of the field. I'm sure you can make an effort."

He sighed and changed the conversation, "I never got to thank you for the community event."

She smiled knowing exactly what he was doing again. He hated losing even if it was the smallest little argument and changing the subject like he did was his way of agreeing to make an effort like she had suggested. "I just did my job."

He smiled, "Believe it or not, I did enjoy being there and helping."

She smirked, "You cost me two hundred and seventeen more soccer balls than what was budgeted. Should I ask Choi for the reimbursement?"

He scoffed and looked back at her, "I would truly believe you if I didn't know you. At first I wondered how your people were able to get the balls so fast after I requested them. Then I remembered that you probably had thought this through from the beginning." He narrowed his eyes at her before playfully saying, "I'm not even sure how to believe you anymore."

She raised her eyebrow, "Excuse me?"

He nodded, "You lied to me about signing just 300 soccer balls and now you also lied to me about my sister..."

She scoffed, "I didn't lie to you about anything. You were required to sign 300 soccer balls in the event. The other two hundred and seventeen were your own doing. As for your sister, I didn't lie either. I hid from you something that wasn't mine to tell."

"Isn't it the same thing?"

She scoffed, "Didn't we have this same argument a long time ago? I'm sure you know is not the same."

He locked eyes with her again searching inside her emerald pools to see if he could find an answer and yet he didn't ask. Although he wanted to know the answer, he wasn't sure if he was ready to hear both answers.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing." He looked away back towards the forest and sighed.

She knew there was something bothering him. "Are you sure?"

He nodded without looking at her and sighed. "I'm going to stay a little longer in here."

"I thought we were all leaving after breakfast."

He shook his head. "You can follow Eriol while getting out of here. He knows the way as well. I'm going to stay a little longer."

She smirked and jokingly said, "There's no gym here. Are you sure you're alright?"

"I don't need a gym right now." He simply said without looking at her.

Something in her gut told her he wasn't alright. He was avoiding eye contact with her. He was looking towards the forest with a blank but serious expression on his face. Whatever was bothering him, made him close himself to her and it hurt her. She watched from the window as Jun got up from his seat and started walking towards them. "I'll leave you to your thoughts then." She walked back inside the house before Jun could come out.

~ o ~

Feimei hummed as she started putting the cookie dough on the baking sheet one by one. On her end, the day had started a lot differently.

_She walked through the memorized corridors until she reached his door. She had tried calling her boyfriend last night but he didn't answer. Her brother's words still dwelled on her mind before she decided to come in personally to Xiun's apartment to sort this out. There was no way she would allow something like this change her life. _

_As she stepped in front of his door, she quickly ran her hands through her hair to make sure she was presentable before knocking on his door. A couple of minutes later, he opened the door._

"_Feimei…" he sleepily said. "It's six o'clock in the morning."_

_She defiantly stared at him, "You should have picked up your phone then."_

_He tiredly ran his hands through his face after been woken up so early on his last vacation day but nonetheless let her pass before closing the door. "What, pray tell me, is so urgent that you couldn't wait for a couple of more hours of the day to wake me up?"_

"_I wanted to speak to you last night."_

_He stared at her and sighed. "I needed to think last night."_

"_Think about what?"_

"_Feimei…"_

"_No! I will not accept a cheap excuse as my brother being the problem between us. This is not fair. You should think of all the times…"_

_He looked at her and simply sighed before sitting down on his couch. There was nothing he wanted to do more than going back to sleep right now but he knew she would never let him. He knew that not picking up the phone would lead her to an incessant rattle on all the reasons why they shouldn't break up. He just didn't know it would be this early. 'Note to self… always answer the phone.' He thought as she kept talking about how her brother had no say on her life and how she was old enough to make her decisions. _

_The worst part about all this situation was that he knew he would just let her talk and not say a word until she was done. Yes… he loved her that much. They had only been dating for ten months but he knew deep down that he loved her. _

"_Are you even listening to me?" she said._

"_Yes, I am." He tiredly said._

"_I don't think you are." She looked at him with pissed off eyes. His lack of comments was bothering her. She had already passed through a one sided relationship and feared that this relationship could turn up the same. _

"_Would you let me talk?" he softly asked._

_She turned her head away, calmed down a little, and waited. "I'm listening."_

_He shook his head and smile a little before saying, "The tournament is in a month Feimei. I don't want problems with your brother."_

"_I already told you Sakura will take care of it."_

_He stood up and looked at her, "Why would she take care of it Feimei? How? I mean, I know they used to be friends of some sort but still your brother is very stubborn most of the times. And right now our relationship in this moment could bring repercussions to the team."_

"_So, you're exchanging me for your team?"_

"_I'm not exchanging you for anything." What he was about to say would definitely piss her off more than she was already so he tried to proceed with caution as he put his hands up and calmly said, "I'm just saying that maybe we can find a way to slow down a little until we find a practical realistic solution to this."_

_She scoffed. "Don't give me that shitty psychological talk right now Xiun. I'm not in the mood."_

"_Feimei…" he sighed. "You know I love you. You know I wouldn't do anything to hurt you."_

"_Then don't." she walked to him and put her hands around him. "Come back to the apartment. We can try to figure this out the two of us."_

"_Feimei…" _

_He grabbed her hips to try to push her away but she didn't let him. "Please Xiun. Come on. I know that my brother is stubborn and I know that he's making a stupid big deal out of something that is not but he'll get used to it. He will have to."_

_He looked at her pleading eyes and his face softened. He put his forehead against hers before saying, "When I found out he was your brother, I knew this day would come. I just didn't expect it would be a month before the cup."_

_She could already see him giving up on this staying away crap and smiled. "I told you, Sakura will take care of it."_

"_What makes you so sure?" He asked._

_She smirked, "Trust me. He has never been able to say no to her."_

But now she was happy to have him back in her apartment. After a couple of months into their relationship they had both decided to get an apartment for when they had a chance to be together in China. With their hectic schedules, it was a little difficult to spend time together so they wanted to make the most out of the time they could be together.

"Mmm... Are the cookies done?" He said stretching his hand to grab one but she smacked his hand away. "Ouch!"

"Serves you right! You'll wait just like everyone else!" She had been doing cookies for her employees at work. As she had learned, it was a good way of gaining part of their trust. Having happy employees was always a good thing especially when the outcome of your work depended on a group of people that made up a team.

"Aw come on baby is not like they'll taste a lot different than the cookie dough."

She raise a brow, "What? Why do you think I put them in the oven? They taste better when they are done."

"I disagree."

"They do."

He rolled his eyes but finally asked her what had been at the back of his mind since they had their little talk in the morning, "So, about Sakura… what is it that you're not telling me?"

She acted all surprised about it but kept putting the cookies on the baking sheet. "I don't know what you're talking about."

He smirked. "Really?" He walked behind her and hugged her from behind while whispering, "I don't believe one word that's coming out of you."

She chuckled and huskily said, "Well, what will you do? My lips are sealed."

He turned her around abruptly and started to kiss her softly. After having her relaxed in his arms he asked her between kisses, "Come on, tell me."

"Mmm… you'll have to convince me better than this for this one."

He chuckled and kissed her a little more before he insisted, "Come on…"

She laughed at him but took a little compassion on him, "Oouu… Fine."

He smiled brightly at her and waited on her to continue.

"They used to date before."

He frowned. This wasn't at all what he had expected. "Date… As in more-than-one-night date?"

Feimei laughed at his surprised look but nodded. "Yes. Even if you don't believe it."

"Feimei… I may not know your brother that well but for as long as I can remember I've never seen him in a date that lasted more than a night."

She smirked and smile. "I'm telling you… Sakura's different. Trust me. They used to date years ago. And if I remember correctly they even had plans of getting married or something like that. I don't remember the particulars but the point is… they had a very steady relationship back then. Actually when I heard they had broken up I was shocked."

"Why did they?" he asked.

She scoffed and shook her head. "He wanted to concentrate on his career. Idiot! Now he's paying for it. I'm telling you baby, we're not breaking up because of soccer."

He chuckled and shook his head after hearing his girlfriend. He kissed her again knowing that even if Syaoran was mad because of this he couldn't see himself leaving her. Carefully he grabbed one of the cookie dough balls from the baking sheet and hid it behind him while he kept Feimei distracted. As he finished the kiss, he smiled sweetly at her and quickly turned around walking as fast as possible out of the kitchen.

Feimei turned around to finish putting the cookie dough so she could put them on the oven when she noticed one missing. "Hey! Xiun! You'll pay for that one!" she loudly said before smiling to herself. She sighed and smiled gratefully thinking that her life was back to normal.

~ o ~

The ride back was silent. Jun was driving behind Eriol, as Syaoran had suggested, going back to the city. After having breakfast they had packed their bags and left the cabin except for Syaoran. His cousins asked him about his decision but in the end he stayed like he said he would. She felt Jun grab her left hand and caress it while driving with his other hand. She looked at his smiling face and smiled back quickly before looking outside her window again. Dark grey clouds were starting to cover the sky now.

The thought of Syaoran staying behind at the cabin unnerved her. He was worried about something and yet when she asked him about it he denied it. The weekend had been refreshing for all of them. Even after Jun arrived they had been able to get along and have fun like they had intended to. So, why was he acting this way? What made him change?

"Are you okay love?" Jun worriedly asked her.

"What were you guys talking about this morning?" she casually asked.

Jun looked at her quickly before looking back at the road. "When?"

"This morning, when I came back with Eriol after jogging."

"I was just asking them if you were with them. Why?"

"No reason. I just find weird that Syaoran would stay behind an entire day in a place where he can't train properly knowing how nazi he is about his training."

"Well, he did take a few days to have a vacation. Maybe he wants to enjoy his entire vacations doing something he truly enjoys. Who knows if he'll even be alone in that cabin..."

Sakura looked at him wondering where this talk was coming from and asked him, "What do you mean?"

Jun nodded casually before saying, "Maybe he invited someone to be there with him to finish his vacations. I mean, guys like him do that all the time. They like playing with woman. It's an enjoyable game to them."

Wrong! Sakura stared at Jun but didn't say anything. She looked back through the window and held herself from saying anything. This morning when she came across their little scenario she had a bad feeling about it. Now, after hearing her boyfriend's answer she had just confirmed it. Syaoran was pissed because of his conversation with Jun this morning. She had no doubt about it.

~ o ~

His agent had called him again inquiring about his decision to sign but he still didn't have an answer for him. Eriol and Kyu had already signed and yet he still couldn't come up with his decision. He knew what he wanted to do. Since they were kids the three of them had talked about playing pro in the same team. What he didn't know back then was how one decision could change his life like it did. He did it once, and he didn't dare do it again.

What he had told Sakura the other night was true. He had searched for her incessantly. He couldn't believe it at first when he stepped into her front door and her father told him she was gone. Then, as time passed by, her absence only made it harder to bear. The agony of knowing she wouldn't be there at his side killed him inside with each passing day.

He lost the Asia Junior Cup tournament that year. He could still remember that day. The same ending kept replaying itself over and over in his mind at night. The game had gone to penalty kicks. As the best shooter he was the fifth to kick and with a tied score he missed the shot through the top right corner. Many questioned what had been going through his head back then. It wasn't normal for him to miss that shot. In fact, it was more like a routine shot. He remembered quite well his friends never dared to say a word but he could guess what their thoughts were. And yet, the worst part for him hadn't been missing that shot, the worst part of it was that he didn't feel anything afterwards. He just felt numb.

No. He was waiting this time. He had finally found her again and wouldn't be making the same mistake twice. He needed to find out if Sakura was getting married or not but couldn't bring himself to ask earlier. His mind was going a thousand miles per hour since Jun had told him she would marry him. He still couldn't believe it and he refused to until he talked to Sakura but waiting had never been one of his virtues.

He walked out of the balcony and into the stables thinking that perhaps a ride before leaving would help him organize his thoughts before facing Sakura again. He was determined that no matter what, he would find out the truth before this day ended.

~ o ~

After hours on the road, they finally made it back to their apartment. Sakura got out of the car and stretch her body after the long drive. By the way the clouds were gathering together, it was evident that rain was on its way. The day had started sunny and yet after making it back into the city the weather had changed completely.

"Home sweet home!" Jun said while taking the bags off the car.

Sakura smiled from the front door and opened it so he could take their bags inside. She walked over to the fridge and took out a bottle of water. "I think the drive back felt longer than when we first left for the cabin." She thoughtlessly said. Suddenly she remembered that on their way to the cabin they had gotten lost and the ride actually lasted longer than usual. For some reason, the memory made her smile but she quickly hid it after watching Jun walking out their room from setting their bags down and towards her.

"Did it? I thought it was fine. I'm just glad we're back to our old selves." He said.

"How did it go on your trip? We didn't talk much on the cabin." She asked him.

"It was good. My father says I have a good chance at been chosen as one of the candidates for the senate."

"Aren't you too young for that?"

He smiled at her. "Well, if my father says I can do it, I'm sure I can."

She nodded and went towards the TV. She turned it on and started watching the news while getting her cell phone out. Suri had text her confirming she had sent an email summarizing the new developments that had occurred while she was out for a couple of days. It didn't surprise her at all that her inbox was full knowing that the tournament was so nearby. She had also sent some new appointments that were automatically added to her phone calendar. A meeting was set for Monday already.

Over the weekend, she had time to sort out a couple of things she had been planning. At least she could say her vacations permitted her of doing some thinking even if it was work related. Monday's meeting would be a perfect day to start putting her thoughts into actions. She calmly heard the news while going through the emails and erasing the ones she knew she didn't needed.

_There is a storm watch set for the entire night and we have estimated it will last until early morning. Please use precautions when driving in the roads. We recommend if it's not necessary to drive, please stay in your homes. _

She heard the news and her first instinct was to text Syaoran but she stop. It wouldn't do any good to do so in front of Jun. She felt Jun sit at her side and put his hand over her shoulder to cuddle closer to her.

"I'm so glad we're finally getting married." He said. "I can't wait to say it to the entire world that we're finally tying the knot."

"To the entire world?" she suspiciously asked.

"Why not? We've been talking about this for almost a year and a half."

She chuckled. "I still don't think that the whole world needs to know we're tying the knot."

He softly grabbed her chin to take her attention out of her phone and made her look at him. "We're not keeping this a secret Sakura. After I speak to your father, I want others to know."

She looked into his eyes and knew, "By others you mean Syaoran? Or did you already tell him?"

Not knowing how to answer, he simply asked, "Does it matter?"

She took his hand away and stood up walking away from him.

"Why should it matter Sakura?" he loudly said. "He would've known anyways!"

She grabbed her purse and turned around to look at him, "No. Correction, he knows already because you told him."

"Why is this an issue?"

"Because Jun, we never make decisions on our own. As a couple, we always make decisions together. Whether he would've found out or not is irrelevant. The point is you made this decision on your own."

"That is not fair. I usually ask for your point of view on every other decision. This one just slipped. You know very well I can't stand the guy."

"Still, I would have liked it if you would've at least considered my opinion on this." She put her phone in her bag, grabbed her keys, and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?" he bitterly asked.

"The office." She answered.

"Fine then." He said as he watched her pass by. "I'm sorry. Would you feel better after an apology?"

"No you're not," was all she said before walking out of the apartment. She got in her car and drove to the one place she knew she could feel at ease.

~ o ~

Suri walked through the corridors of the field. It was her day off but she still wanted to make sure everything was perfect for when Sakura came in tomorrow to inspect. Her job had never been something mandatory for her in fact she enjoyed working especially when she was out of the office. Besides, it wasn't as if she had anything better to do.

She looked at the corridor walls which were now adorned by the new posters of the China team. At both sides of the group poster, individual posters were placed of each player on their red and white uniform doing an action. The quality had turn out to be better than she thought it would be but, then again, Sakura always had the final word when it came to deciding whether they would stay with something or simply just change it.

She kept walking towards the VIP room. When she reached it, she opened the door and the first thing she noticed was the six feet soccer ball embossed artistically on a stone at the other side of the room. A traditional red dragon surrounded the ball. Around the room, the walls were decorated with red and golden paper fans. From the ceiling, red and white paper lamps hanged from yellow strings. The feeling that you were in China could be felt as she walked around the room. It was still missing the food table along with small details but it was almost done. She glanced one more time before turning around. She arranged one of the paper fans which she found a little off balanced on the wall before walking out of the room satisfied.

When she had been told by Sakura that they would be taking care of the advertisement for this tournament she couldn't believe it. The first thing that came up to her mind was all the work they would have to do. Planning the advertisement for an event was one thing, planning the advertisement for a FIFA World Tournament was an entire different thing. As expected, at the beginning she didn't even know where they would even start. As the project began, she started seeing how Sakura started to throw even the smallest of ideas into a notepad. 'No idea is stupid enough not to be considered,' was her motto. Then little by little she started playing around with these until she developed a concrete plan which she could use for the event. Day by day Suri had been watching and learning, gaining experience from being at Sakura's side as she watched and helped her implement her ideas into what it was now becoming the final product.

She was about to head out of the field when she noticed the captain of the China team walking out of one of the aisles. He was casually dressed in jeans and a casual red polo shirt.

"Mark!" she called.

He turned his head and saw Suri approaching wearing a casual light blue dress. He smiled and greeted her, "Suri! Hey, what are you doing here?"

She shrugged, "Just wanted to make sure everything was in its right place before my boss comes to check tomorrow."

He nodded, "Well, is everything where it's supposed to be?"

She chuckled, "It is. What about you? What are you doing here?"

"I was just sitting down and looking at the field from the spectator's seat."

"Why?" she curiously asked.

He smiled and shrugged putting his hands in his pockets, "Today's our last day of vacation before we start practicing again for the tournament. I guess I feel a little nostalgic." He chuckled. "It's the last time I'll actually get to do this before the tournament starts."

She smiled. "I never knew you were such a romantic."

He ran his hands through his hair a little embarrassed after confessing that to her. "You're actually the first person that knows this about me. I mean… the coming to the field before a tournament starts."

She chuckled, "Do you do this for every tournament?"

He nodded. "It actually helps me to prepare for the games, although I'm not sure why today it just feels different."

"How different?" she asked. For some reason she didn't find it hard to talk to him.

He laughed a little before saying, "Are you heading out as well?"

She nodded.

"How about we finish this conversation over dinner?"

She chuckled and shook her head, "Are you asking me out?"

"Oh, come on… I only have this night left." He chuckled. "At least until the tournament's over."

She laughed a little before nodding. "Fine, just because it is your last night of your so called vacations and I want to hear the end of your story. Plus I'm kind of hungry." It was true. It was almost dinner time on her watch plus adding the minutes it would take them to reach a restaurant and waiting to be seated it would definitely be time for dinner.

He exhaled loudly, "Finally!"

She looked at him suspiciously.

He brought his hands up defensively. "I'm only saying it because I'm hungry too." He sarcastically said as he smirked.

She narrowed her eyes playfully at him, "Right… I don't believe you one bit."

He chuckled and followed her out of the stadium. He walked her to her car. "What place do you want to go?" he asked her as he waited for her to get into her car.

She nodded. "There's this place that sells really good plates with lots of meat on them." she looked at him, "Do you like meat?"

He nodded, "I'll follow you."

She nodded.

~ o ~

She was glad to be back in her office. Suri had left everything organized as usual. It wasn't always like this. At the beginning, when Suri started working as an intern, Sakura remembered wondering how long she would last working for her. Then couple of months later she had been able to pull through and started to keep up with Sakura which had never been an easy task to do according to her other assistants who had quit in less than a month of working with her. She had to admit… Suri had been a surprise as an employee. Going to her second year with the company, Sakura couldn't feel prouder of how she had managed to stay sane and at the same time find a way to stay on top of everything.

She had already been a couple of hours on her office. It was eleven o'clock at night and the weather hadn't cleared up yet. Instead, it got worst after she had reached her office so she decided to stay a little longer hoping it would clear up at least a little before heading back home. As she was looking at some documents, she heard her door open. She looked up from the papers she was reading to find Syaoran standing on her office door. His expression let her know exactly what he was doing in her office tonight. She exhaled softly as she got out of her desk and walked around it to sit on top of it. "Did you just get back?"

He nodded. "I went by your apartment and didn't see your car. So I figured you would be here." He softly said before closing the door after getting in and stared at her. "I need to ask you something."

The tone he used to say his first words were an indication that he had been tired of thinking about this before finally confronting her. She nodded and waited for the unavoidable question.

"Are you getting married?"

She stared at him not knowing exactly what to answer. Jun and her had talked about it and she had been seriously considering it till now. "Is this what Jun told you this morning?"

"I don't care what he says. I need to hear it from you." He calmly said.

She sighed, "He proposed last night."

He stared at her silently. He had asked her and yet she didn't give him a straight answer. "You haven't said yes," he said confirming what he thought.

"I haven't said no either." She looked at him.

He kept staring at her trying to read her like he used to years ago but he couldn't. He waited for her to say something else not sure yet if been silent would be better than talking.

She took a deep breath before finally saying, "I need more Syaoran. I've dedicated seven years of my life to your father's company, and I'm not complaining, but I want more. I can't just be Sakura the project manager. I want my husband and I also want to start a family someday."

"Sakura-"

"And you can't give me that." she finished before he could say anything else.

"That's not fair. You're not the only one that has changed in these past seven years. I've changed as well."

She sadly smiled, "Really? I saw you play again on the charity tournament. It wasn't a big tournament, but your eyes still shine just like they have always done whenever you see a field. Your smile has never been brighter than when you score a goal."

He quickly interrupted her before she could say more. "I remember a time when it was brighter, and I can even find evidence in case you don't believe me."

She waited for him to finish and then calmly said, "Jun wants to ask my father before we make it official."

"You don't love him!"

"He loves me."

"Why do you have to be so stubborn about this?" He walked towards her so he could be in front of her and softly took her face on his hands and touched her forehead with his, "You can tell me he can give you a family, that he loves you. And what can you possibly give him in return? What life would you live at his side when you still tremble whenever you feel my touch?"

She softly took his hands out of her face and looked at him. "I'm getting married Syaoran." She sighed and looked away.

He stared at her. There was something that he still couldn't grasp. "Ask me to stop playing."

She looked at him again, "What?" She asked not believing what she had just heard.

He sternly kept staring at her. "Ask me to stop playing."

The seriousness in his eyes let her know that he wasn't joking. She shook her head refusing to ask.

"Ask me Sakura." He insisted.

Had he gone insane? She stared at him again but this time she said, "No."

"Don't tell me I can't give you what you want if you're not willing to ask."

She could feel his proximity was affecting her. "What difference will it do?" she loudly asked. "You will stop doing something you love for something else. In the end, you will feel the same way you did when I left."

"Shouldn't that be up to me?" He loudly asked. He could feel himself losing control over this. "What I want, what I do, shouldn't these decisions be up to me?"

She looked away and sighed.

He narrowed his eyes as he watched her look away. Getting his anger under control again he asked her, "Why are you doing this Sakura?"

"This is my decision."

"So you treat your life now as if it was a business? Do you decide to marry someone for convenience instead of love?"

She looked back at him a defensively said, "This is what I want."

"Is it?" He bitterly asked trying to control his anger as he scoffed, "Even he can see you don't love him. It's not possible for you to be the only person who still thinks that this is right."

She was getting a little irritated with this conversation already as she tried to dismiss his interrogation, "Why do you need to make things more difficult?"

"Because I'm trying to understand what could possibly drive you to make such a stupid decision as…" as he was saying his words, he stopped. He remembered his mother's words.

"_Then let's just say, as a mother off course, I'm curious to know why my son instead of thinking of signing a contract on a European soccer league is more concern for signing a contract to buy a terrain in China."_

_He looked at her, "It's my money. I can do whatever I want with it."_

"_It may be your money but you are my son. Does this have anything to do with Sakura by any chance?"_

_He dried his hair with the towel. Dealing with his mother had never been an easy task for him yet hearing Sakura's name on her lips made him warn her, "Leave her out of this mother."_

"_Why should I? You have never been interested in returning to China. While you were away all those years in Japan you never stepped one foot in here. The only thing I can think of that has changed is the fact that now you know she is living here."_

Then, he remembered Sakura's words.

_"I've missed you." He softly said._

_She could hear the regret on his words and took a deep breath before turning to face him and sadly smiled. "Is that what the terrain is for?"  
_~

_"When did you get it?" she asked him._

_"When I got here," he casually said._

_"Wouldn't it have been better to buy it in Europe?" She stared at him. _

_He kept watching the road and after several seconds he said, "I can always buy another one there if I want to."_

_"And sell this one?"  
_

_"I heard you have many offers around. Have you decided in which European team you want to play?"_

_He shook his head. "I'm waiting for the cup."_

_"I thought you already knew with who you wanted to play..."_

_"So did I…" he thoughtfully said._

_She looked at him, "What changed?"_

_He sighed, "Many things, but for now I'm just waiting for the cup."_

Suddenly it clicked. His mother's words, Sakura's questions, everything made sense now. "You've always known me better than anyone else." He softly said as an afterthought.

She shook her head and sighed. "That was in the past."

"I'll sign the contract. Don't get married."

She suddenly looked at him. "What?" The pained expression on his face was something she didn't expect at all.

"I'll sign the contract." He softly said again.

She shook her head and sighed disbelieving his words. "This has nothing to do with you."

He touched her chin softly to make her look at him before saying, "Don't lie to me. I won't make you a dishonest woman like you said, but the fact that you even had to ask me means you know I could. I'll sign the contract, just don't marry him." He turned around and started to walk towards the door.

Something about his words made her chest tightened. The pain she saw in his eyes as he said these last words was something she couldn't quite put her finger on to decipher. Usually she was pretty good at reading his expressions but tonight it had been different. "There's a storm watch on. You shouldn't be driving right now. You can go to your father's office if you want."

He turned back to look at her, "I don't want to be near you right now."

She was taken aback by his comment but insisted. "Be reasonable. Your house is about thirty minutes away from here." She watched him turned around and walk towards the door. "At least go to Feimei's apartment. It's closer than your parents. I'll text you the address."

Without an answer, she watched him open the door and close it after getting out. She quickly got her cell phone and texted him Feimei's address like she had told him she would do. He didn't reply back. She looked back at the closed door trying to understand what had just happened in her office.

**Author's Note**: Well here's chapter 8. Sorry for keeping you guys waiting too long for this one. To tell the truth I had a little trouble with this one. I knew what I wanted to write in my mind, I just had a little trouble putting it down. Happens to us all… Well, I hope you enjoy reading this one. I received a review asking how many chapters I was planning to do on this story. I'm not sure how many in total yet. I have the rest of the story in pieces so I have to put them together and edit them but for now I would say this story is about half way done.


	9. Chapter 9 - The Longest Day

"_**We may love the wrong person, cry for the wrong person, but one thing is sure. Mistakes help us find the right person. Go for someone who isn't only proud to have you, but will also take every risk just to be with you! Never, ever settle. Just be patient and don't rush things. Anything worth having is worth waiting for. ~ Brigitte**_

**Chapter 9**

"**The Longest Day"**

Lightning illuminated the way as he stared at his sister's apartment door from his car. The heavy rain falling from the sky mirrored the turmoil he was feeling inside. It was the middle of the night and he hadn't been able to reach his house. Instead, he was sitting down inside his car hearing the heavy rain pouring on top of his car as he kept thinking about his last conversation with Sakura.

He had always wanted to play along his friends in a professional team until he found out she was living in China. He remembered that first night he saw her again. The white dress didn't do her justice. Her emerald eyes trying to avoid his gaze made something inside of him stir that night. Yet, those same emerald eyes brought him pain tonight as well. He took his cell phone and dialed his manager's phone number.

"_Hello!" Choi sleepily answered the phone._

"It's me." He heard some shuffling on the other side of the line before hearing his manager's voice again.

"_Are you alright? Did something happen?" he worriedly asked._

"No! Everything's good." He scratched his eyes before taking a deep breath.

"_Do you know what time it is?"_

Syaoran hesitated and sighed before saying, "I've made my decision. Tell Manchester I'm signing tomorrow but I do want to add a condition. I don't want a press conference until the tournament is over. And the same goes with the announcement of my signing. I don't want them to divulge the information until the end of the tournament."

"_Are you sure?"_

It truly hurt him to sign like this. Although it was one of his dreams since childhood, finding Sakura living in China had changed everything. He didn't want to live without her again. He had already walked down that path and had never liked one step of it. But this was what she'd wanted. "Yes."

"_Then, congratulations! It's a great deal Syaoran. You will not regret it. I'll call the owner tomorrow morning to give him the good news and will call you later with the details."_

He hung up his phone and closed his eyes. When he left Sakura's office, he had the intent of ignoring her advice and drive straight home but, as usual, he ended up following her advice even if his mind was against it. Saying no to her was something he had never been able to do.

Syaoran got out of his car and quickly ran towards the front door. He stood soaking wet in front of the door and knocked as he waited for his sister to open the door.

Feimei answered the door and froze. "Syaoran?" she asked surprised at seeing her brother on the steps of her door.

He sadly looked at her. "I need a place to stay tonight."

"Babe, who is…" Xiun, who had just appeared from the wall on the back, stopped his question as soon as he saw Syaoran's face in the front door.

Syaoran looked at him but didn't say anything. Instead he watched as his sister quickly closed the door and looked at him.

"Xiun is staying with me… whether you like it or not." She quickly said.

He stared at her. He could easily see that even as she tried to say those words in a brave and defensive way the tone of her voice gave away her fear of knowing what he could possibly do to her boyfriend. Even after talking with Sakura he still didn't feel all too agreeable with this situation. In any other occasion he would have without a doubt cause a whole issue about Xiun been in her apartment but right now he just didn't feel like it. He just wanted a place where he could stay and think about what this whole thing with Sakura meant. "I just need a place to stay for tonight. I'm not going to do anything."

"Syaoran-"

He heard the warning behind her words and assured her, "I mean it Feimei."

She looked at him curiously and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing." He softly answered.

"You don't look like your usual self." she said as she inspected every aspect of his face.

He sighed at her worried face and tried to calm her by saying, "It's nothing, really."

She nodded and opened the door for him to enter. Xiun was sitting down at one of the bar stool chairs at the far end of the room in front of the kitchen bar. The sound of the door opening once again made him stand up quickly from his chair. He looked at his girlfriend entering their apartment followed by her brother and decided not to say anything.

"Syaoran will be staying with us tonight." Feimei calmly smiled at her boyfriend trying to calm his nervousness down. She watched him nod but stayed quiet. His uneasiness at knowing her brother would spend the night with them was completely visible to her. She took a deep breath and looked at her brother again. "Have you eaten anything?"

He shook his head.

She sighed. Something was wrong with her brother and she knew it. She went to her kitchen and opened the fridge. Taking out a round plastic container, she reached up to one of her cabinets and took out a soup pan in which she could heat some ramen for him. After heating it up, she served it in a porcelain deep plate and set it on the table. "Come on. Eat while I get you some clothing so you can change and a towel." She offered before disappearing through the back wall to get the stuff for him.

Syaoran sat down where she placed the plate. He took the chance of his sister's absence to look at Xiun over. He felt satisfaction at knowing that his presence was making him feel uneasy. "You live here?" he calmly asked him.

"No..." he quickly blurted. Then decided it was better not to lie to him. "Sometimes..." And finally chose that it was better to not infuriate him with the vague answer. "Only when I'm in town."

Syaoran stared at him and sighed before going back to eating. He took a scoop before saying, "If you ever hurt her-"

Xiun quickly raised his hands. "Totally noted man." He didn't need Syaoran to finish that sentence to know what he was about to say. He guessed this was as much of a blessing he would ever get from him.

~ o ~

She took one of Xiun's shirts and a towel from the closet. It was a good thing that they had decided to buy an apartment with two rooms in it. When they were looking for apartments, Xiun had given her the idea to get one with two rooms so that she could use one of the rooms as her office and as a guest room as well. She was about to head back to the living room when she heard her phone vibrate.

She grabbed the phone from her night table and looked at a text message that had come in from Sakura. 'At this hour?' she thought before opening it.

*Is your brother with you?

She read it again before answering.

*How do you know that? Did you sent him here?

*He wanted to drive home but I told him the rain is too heavy.

Feimei was about to answer her question but suddenly smirked as she read Sakura's message again.

*Is that worry I sense in your words?

*I'm just glad he listened.

Feimei read her message and scoffed. 'When has he not listened to you?' she thought before writing back.

*Xiun is here. You owe me big time.

She left her phone charging and put it back down before walking towards the guest room. After preparing the room for Syaoran to be able to stay in it, she went back towards the living room. Leaving those two alone was never a good thing no matter how much her brother promised not to do anything.

~ o ~

Sakura looked at Feimei's message and put her phone down. Her gut feeling was letting her know that something just went wrong. She had tried to push him away as usual but this time it was different. He insisted, he cornered her, and finally at the end he told her he didn't want to be near her. What in the world had just happened? She heard her phone's ringtone signaling a message.

*Are you coming home?

She looked at Jun's message and sighed. She couldn't be with him right now. It would totally lead her to make a decision without thinking and that was something she needed to avoid at all cost.

*I'm staying at the office tonight. Don't wait up.

She simply wrote back. After a couple of seconds waiting she put her phone down knowing he wouldn't write back. Once again, her mind came back to Syaoran.

"_Don't lie to me. I won't make you a dishonest woman like you said, but the fact that you even had to ask me means you know I could. I'll sign the contract, just don't marry him."_

From the moment she knew he would be coming back to China and she would have to see him again, she knew she had to be careful. Syaoran had always been quick in figuring things out. She had tried from the first day to push him away but he never did. Instead, he had been calm all this time. 'Too calm for my own comfort…' she thought. Had he known all this time? Had he been able to figure her out?

His mind had always been enticing for her. The way he could analyze a situation was something that had always attracted her. She could even say it was sort of exciting to watch specifically when he was playing in the field. His athletic ability was good but what really made him an outstanding player was his way to strategize a play. And last night, he had been right… If he were to try she would let him. She had no doubt she would.

She rubbed her fingers through her tired eyes and went back to her desk. She grabbed her iPad and continue reading the new projects they had already in line of been developed. She stayed the night working like she used to do whenever she couldn't sleep and finally when she saw the first rays of light decided to head home to get a shower and come back.

~ o ~

"Just go in Xiun. He already promised me he wouldn't do anything against you." Feimei whispered.

"I'm not going in Feimei. You are his sister. You wake him up." Xiun whispered back.

She sighed. "Honestly, is not like he can kill you or anything, The Cup is weeks away baby."

"That's easy for you to say. You're his sister." He responded narrowing his eyes at her.

Xiun and Feimei were whispering to each other in the hallway fighting back and forth outside of the guest room to see who would get to wake Syaoran up. It was already 5:45 am and there was no sign whatsoever that indicated he was awake. Practice was supposed to start in forty five minutes and Syaoran still hadn't even made a sound inside that room that would let them know he was at least getting ready to head out.

Feimei rolled her eyes at her boyfriend and whispered, "Baby, would you rather having him kill you for not waking him up?"

Xiun narrowed his eyes at her, "You were the one that allowed him to stay. So, if he were to miss practice it would fall on your head not mine."

She gave him and incredulous stare and scoffed. "Fine."

Feimei carefully opened the door. She looked inside the room and found Syaoran's body still on bed. She slowly went inside and walked over to him. As she got closer to the bed, she found he was still sleeping.

"Syaoran…?" she slowly called. She saw him move a little but didn't wake up. "Syaoran, it's time to wake up. Your practice starts soon." She tried again to wake him up but he didn't do anything. She looked back at the door where her boyfriend was standing looking at the whole scene and he only shrugged.

She sighed. "Syaoran, really… you're late." This time she nudged his shoulder to move him.

He opened his eyes slowly but said, "I'm not going today. Tell Xiun to excuse me."

"What?" she asked loudly this time.

"I'm not feeling well. I'm not going to practice today." He said getting more comfortable under the sheets.

"Are you feeling sick? Do I need to take you to the doctor?"

He shook his head and went back to sleep. She silently looked at her boyfriend who in return didn't say anything as well. None of them could believe it.

~ o ~

He looked inside his binder for the plays he wanted to practice today. After gathering all the papers, he walked out of his office and into the field.

"Good Morning Tan!" he greeted his assistant coach.

His assistant coach looked at him and nodded but stayed quiet. Immediately after seen his reaction, he knew something was not right but decided to ask later about it. They walked as they normally did to the center of the field to wait for the team to get out of the locker room. He smiled as he started looking at the players getting out to the field. Some of them came out one by one while others came out talking with another teammate. They had been practicing for this tournament for years and finally the time was here to execute what they had learned so far.

They had pretty good chances this year of getting that cup. After the qualification round for this tournament everyone was aware of their team's improvements during the years. They hadn't entered in first place as one of the favorites to win the cup but they certainly made the news as a team to watch on the tournament. It had cost time along with fights and a lot of team bonding to get to where they were and now the time of proving how far they could go was finally here.

He waited for all of his players to gather in the middle of the field to start practice before looking back at the locker room door. "Where's Li?" he asked looking towards Eriol and Kyu.

They both shook their heads and didn't say anything.

"I've been wondering that too." Tan said as an afterthought.

He looked at Tan and was about to say something when he received a text message.

_Coach, I'm taking the day off for personal reasons. I'll start tomorrow. Please excuse me._

He looked at the message again and turned to look at his two players once more. "Something I should know?"

Eriol simply shook his head but didn't say anything while Kyu asked, "Like what?"

Their coach took a deep breath before saying, "Nothing. Start warming up."

"Without Syaoran?" Mark asked.

"He won't be coming today. Now take your team and start warming up."

The other guys from the team started to look at each other and whispering among themselves except Xiun. He had known from the beginning Li wouldn't be coming to practice today. It had shocked him too when he heard about it but just went to practice as usual. Actually knowing before anyone else had made him feel a little guilty and a little nervous at the same time. He was actually relieved that at least Syaoran had texted the news to their coach instead of using him as the bearer of bad news.

He started wondering if he should tell Eriol and Kyu about Syaoran's whereabouts but then thought that if Syaoran hadn't said anything yet then perhaps he didn't wanted them to know.

"What?" Kyu asked.

"Do you have a problem with that Matsushi?"

Kyu shook his head. "No."

The coach turned his stare from Kyu to the captain of the team. "Mark, lead the warm-ups."

Mark nodded.

The team started to take their places to jog right behind Mark. Tan waited until the team was out of hearing range to ask the coach, "Do you still think we shouldn't talk to him? Just because he is good doesn't mean he can do whatever he wants in the team."

"Tan… We don't know what happened. Not even his friends know what happened. I'll speak to him tomorrow about this."

"You think they don't know? They could be lying to cover him." Tan said.

The coach looked at him, "I said I will speak to him tomorrow." With that said he turned to walk towards the bench. As a coach, he had encountered other players missing practices before but Syaoran had never been one of them. Since he had known him, his record of going to practice was almost perfect. There had only been one day he had missed and it had been after losing the Asia Junior Cup tournament.

He had always been a hard worker, more so after losing four years ago the FIFA tournament in quarterfinals. Training for this tournament had become some sort of a mission for him. Even when he had been sick in the past he had always shown himself in the field. For this reason the coach found his text message this morning strange. It just wasn't normal.

~ o ~

Luck had been on her side this morning. When she reached her apartment Jun had already gone to work. She peacefully took her morning shower and went back to her office after having breakfast without any inconvenience. She placed her stuff in her office before going to Xian's office.

"You're here early. Did you miss your office this much while you were away on the weekend?"

She smiled at Xian's greeting and closed the door after getting in. "You know me too well."

He chuckled. "The meeting doesn't start until ten."

She looked at her watch which read nine and nodded. "I know. I wanted to discuss something else with you before the meeting starts."

He nodded.

"Actually, several things. First, I was thinking about this over the weekend and I think that Suri is ready to receive her first project alone."

He chuckled again, "Sakura, the weekend was supposed to be non-work related."

"I know… I just couldn't help it. The idea came to me even as I was supposed to be having some sort of vacation time." She casually said.

"What makes you so sure she's ready?"

"I've been watching for some time now and tested her with the Kahi tournament. She asked for help on some minor things but other than that she ran almost the whole tournament along with Xiefa and me. I've been giving her more responsibility with the FIFA tournament as well and she has been fine doing it. Even this weekend, she was able to handle everything without the need of calling me. I came in last night and found that she was able to execute correctly without depending on me."

He stared at her. "You came to the office last night? Did you sleep?"

She simply didn't answer him instead she sighed and followed her next point. "Second, I'm going this week to Japan. I'm coming back with Yuki and I'm not sure if he needs help bringing some of his stuff over."

He shook his head at the sudden change of subject but let her continue, "Is that your way of telling me that you need the company's jet?"

"Well, it would make things easier and faster if we could use the jet but I already have tickets. I leave on Wednesday and I'll be coming back on Saturday."

He sighed but nodded. "Back to Suri. You want to promote her, I can do that. But I don't want her to do things on her own just yet."

She nodded. "I can supervise her if needs be but I won't be making decisions on her projects."

He nodded. "Very well then, if you will supervise her I have no objection. And, what about you? I will not let you work without an assistant. You almost live here in the office and have one already. Do you have someone already in mind?"

She shook her head.

"What about Feimei?"

Sakura stared at him. She could see what he wanted to do but, knowing Feimei the way she did, she knew she would never like this. "Feimei just acquired her first project in the company she's working for. I don't see her moving to Li Corp to start as an assistant again."

"If you want her I can get her here." Xian calmly said.

She stared at him before calmly replying, "I'll get my own."

He slowly smiled and nodded before asking, "Anything else before the meeting?"

She shook her head. "No. I just wanted to talk to you about these before we started the meeting."

"Fine."

~ o ~

The sound of heals could be heard with each step Suri took as she walked through the corridors of the office with the list of new developments on hand. Thinking about last night made her smile. In all her years as Sakura's assistant she had never imagined been able to find a soccer player like Mark as she was doing checkups of her work… much less, been asked to a date afterwards.

She had to admit when she saw Li at first he had caught her attention. I mean, let's be honest, what girl wouldn't falter seeing him face to face? But then, going out with Mark last night had been so different. He had been such a gentleman with a mix of playfulness around him. There was nothing of that arrogant air that surrounded Li, instead she found Mark to be pretty open about things. The more she knew about him, the more she found she could easily talk to him and by the end of the night she felt comfortable enough to give him her phone number.

She sat down on her desk and started her computer. As she organized her documents, she looked up to find a lady looking at her from the corner of the office. She stared at her back as the lady kept looking around the office not finding who she was looking for. She was wearing high black heals with a black pencil skirt and a purple blouse. Her superior air as she kept looking over was enough indication for Suri to know that she wouldn't like this person. Yet, the lady started walking her way until she stopped in front of her.

"Can I help you?" Suri politely asked.

The lady looked at Suri down before answering, "I am looking for either Ms. Li or Ms. Kinomoto. Can you get them for me?"

Suri kept staring at her. "They are in a meeting. They'll probably be in it the entire morning. Is it something I can help you with?"

"I doubt it."

Suri took a deep breath before asking, "Do you have an appointment with either of them? I'm pretty sure I didn't schedule anything for Ms. Kinomoto this morning. And I'm afraid she doesn't attend anyone without an appointment made through me."

"I don't need an appointment. I'm sure I won't need one either when you tell Ms. Kinomoto I'm here."

"And, may I ask who are you?"

"You can announce me as Katherine. I'm sure she remembers who I am." She said as arrogant as when she started this conversation.

Suri smiled. "Well, Ms. Katherine, even if Ms. Kinomoto remembers who you are, I'm afraid I must put you through an appointment. No one sees my boss without an appointment.

Katherine stared at her. "Listen, it's very important that I speak with her."

Suri started typing in her computer. "Very well, I can set you an appointment for Wednesday and will call to confirm."

Katherine narrowed her eyes at her, "What do you mean will call to confirm?"

This time, Suri smirked. "My boss needs to confirm her appointments in order for me to confirm them with the client. She doesn't meet anyone, only important clients. Is there anything else you need?"

Katherine's mood started changing. She wasn't as confident as she had arrived but she swore herself she would do anything to get into the list of approved reporters for the tournament. She needed to be close to Li no matter what. "Fine. Tell her this has to do with Japan and that it's very important for me to meet with her."

That been said, Suri watched as the lady furiously turned around and walked towards the elevators.

"Wow… talking about a bad temper." Feimei smiled from the corner. She had watched the entire scene with much amusement.

Suri chuckled. "Nothing I couldn't handle. Sakura told me you were back. Congratulations, by the way."

Feimei smirked. "Thanks!"

~ o ~

Feimei looked around her office while waiting on Sakura. Suri had already told her she would be in late because of the meeting so she decided to wait inside. She looked around her office and found some pictures of her and Jun in a corner frame which made her grimace. She had never liked Jun to begin with. She then kept looking around until she reached her desk and saw two plane tickets along with a note that caught her attention.

_Love, _

_I'm sorry for last night. I bought the tickets for the political activity. We leave on Wednesday. _

_I love you!_

_Jun_

'Gosh, he's obnoxious even when he writes.' She thought after reading the note. She heard the door open a couple of seconds after and found Sakura entering her office.

"I didn't know you were here." Sakura said smiling as she walked towards he friend. She gave her a hug before saying, "I'm sorry about last night. I just couldn't think of a closer place for him to go."

"A heads up would've been appreciated it but no matter." Feimei smile. "He didn't kill Xiun so that's good news."

Sakura chuckled and nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. I already spoke to him about you two so hearing he hasn't killed Xiun yet is good news."

Feimei chuckled and then stared at her friend. "What's going on?"

Sakura curiously looked at her and asked, "What do you mean?"

"He was with you last night. He didn't kill Xiun. I asked him if something was wrong and he just said no. But then this morning he missed practice."

"What?" Sakura, surprised at the news, asked.

Feimei sighed. "He never misses practice unless it's unavoidable. So I ask you, what's going on?"

Sakura sighed. "So you automatically assume it has to do with me."

Feimei watched as her friend left her side to go look out the window like she usually did every time she wanted to think over something. "He was with you last night. How can you not know?"

Sakura nodded. "We talked. I just… don't know what happened." Sakura slowly said.

Feimei scoffed. "You don't know or you don't want to tell me?"

Sakura took a deep breath before saying, "Jun asked me to marry him over the weekend."

"Ew… please tell me you didn't accept." Feimei carelessly said while rolling her eyes. She waited for her friend to say no but her silence made her question her again, "You accepted it?"

Sakura sighed frustrated as she ran her hands through her hair before looking at Feimei again. "This doesn't get out of this room Feimei."

Feimei looked at her and nodded.

"I'm not over your brother. I thought I was, but this weekend I found out I wasn't."

Feimei irately sighed before asking, "Then why marry that idiot?"

"He's not an idiot Feimei. Jun has been good to me since I broke up with your brother. He has been the only man who has been able to wait until I've felt good enough to date him. And I haven't decided anything. I'm just confused and thinking."

"You're confused?" Feimei looked at her friend and shook her head. "I'm sorry Sakura but if Xiun asked me right now to marry him I would say yes without having to think twice about it. If you have doubts, doesn't that mean you shouldn't do it?"

"Anyways," Sakura sighed ignoring her question, "your brother knows."

Feimei scoffed and smirked "What? That you're not over him?"

"That Jun proposed."

Feimei eyes widened as he asked, "You told him?"

"I didn't. Jun did."

Feimei scoffed thinking about Jun. "And here I thought he couldn't go any lower than he already is in my head. Now I like him even less. No! Scratch that! I dislike him even more."

Sakura sighed. "I'll talk to your brother again."

"Sakura," Feimei stared at her for a moment before carefully continuing, "I saw you two together years ago and I was with you when he broke up with you. It wasn't easy to watch you go day after day looking the way you did and I certainly don't want to see him that way either. So when you talk to him, keep that in mind."

Sakura sadly looked at her and nodded. "I will."

~ o ~

Kyu drove silently towards the airport. He had promised Meiling to take her personally after practice so she decided to take an afternoon flight. He didn't liked that she would be leaving to comeback the same day the tournament was starting but, since he didn't have any other choice but to accept, he decided to take her to the airport and not say anything about it. She would be leaving for almost three weeks to Europe because of her job. He asked her to put the earliest flight available so she wouldn't miss one minute of the tournament but knew that wasn't up to her.

"Did he answer any of you guys? I tried texting him and he hasn't answered yet." She said from the passenger's seat looking through her phone.

Practice had felt totally different without Syaoran. His absence had been felt throughout the entire three hours and even after that. Mark, as a captain, had been very voice active in letting Syaoran know he had to be more lenient towards the rookies in the past but after this morning's practice Kyu understood that perhaps Syaoran's attitude had never been wrong in the first place.

He had told Meiling about Syaoran missing practice this morning. "We tried to call him but you know how he is." He said still looking at the road.

"Yeah, but missing practice Kyu? He doesn't do that." She thoughtfully said.

"Most of the rookies slacked off during our two weeks off. Their precision kicking the ball was off. Some of them came slower than usual, even conditioning at the end of practice was off. You know… maybe it was better that Syaoran did miss today's practice for their sake." He said as an afterthought.

"Kyu!"

"Think about it Meiling. Your cousin would've killed the poor rookies today. Syaoran has never been good at controlling his temper when it comes to accepting slackers on a team."

"Slackers? You're starting to sound more like him now. They are your teammates Kyu…"

He sighed. "Sorry babe." He took his eyes off the road for a quick second, took her hand and gave it a quick kiss. "I'm gonna miss you."

"You better!"

He chuckled. "Did you already tell that agent of yours to get the earliest flight possible after your last shoot?"

She chuckled and nodded. "Don't worry. I'll be right here when you walk into that field. Don't you trust me?"

"I trust you. I'm not too sure about your agent though." He said almost in a whisper but she heard him loud and clear.

Meiling laughed, "Baby… that's not nice." She smiled at him and then remembered her cousin again. "Do you think I should call Sakura?" she worriedly asked.

"What for babe? She's the reason he's like this."

"I still say Jun was lying. There's no way Sakura wouldn't have told us." Meiling said.

Kyu looked at her and then quickly looked back at the road.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing."

She raised her brow and stared at him, "Say what you need to say."

"Nothing. I just… He didn't look like he was lying when he told us. And they have talk about it. Remember brunch? It would be normal. I mean, they've been dating for quite a while."

She sighed. "I can't believe Eriol and Tomoyo are getting married too."

He chuckled and sarcastically replied, "Well… they have been dating for a long long long time. You have to agree with me in that from all of us, they have the longest record in staying together."

"Yeah…" she thoughtfully replied. "I mean but they're all getting married. It's so weird." She sighed.

He looked at her curiously and asked, "What was that?"

"What was what?" she asked.

"That sigh." He looked at her again before going back to watching the road.

"What are you talking about Kyu?" she casually asked before looking out the window.

"Do you want to get married?"

"No!" she quickly looked back at him and defensively replied. "I never said that."

He looked at her again before looking at the road and carefully repeating the question to her, "Do you want to get married Meiling?"

"No! I'm being serious, no." she replied and sighed again. "I was just wondering. I mean, how does she do it? You know… I can't even imagine working and having to worry about planning a wedding as well. That must be such a hassle."

He took a deep breath before pulling the car over to the emergency lane and stopping.

"What are you doing Kyu?" Meiling loudly asked.

He looked at her. "Why did you bring this up then?"

"What do you mean? I was just commenting on it."

"Meiling… We have never talked about this before."

"Okay, and we don't have time now to talk about this either Kyu. My plane leaves in exactly two hours. I'm going to be late if you don't start this car right now."

"No." he stared at her. "We're talking about this now."

She looked at him. "I'm going to be late!"

"Do you want to get married or not?" he asked.

She stared at him not knowing how to answer. "Do you?"

"I don't see why not. I mean, not today but I do want to get married." he answered.

"You don't think we are good the way we are now?" she asked him.

He heard her question as he stared at her. Meiling had to be the most difficult woman he had ever met in his life. One minute she wanted one thing and then the next she wanted something else. Sighing, he turned to look up front, turn the car back on, and started driving towards the airport. "You're right… you'll be late for your flight if we talk about this now."

~ o ~

Syaoran spent most of his day thinking while his sister was away working. He excused himself with his coach earlier on the day and took the day off. He knew practice now was more important than ever but frankly he couldn't find a way of making it this morning. Still, he went running a couple of miles before stopping to sign the contract with Manchester and now he was back to his sister's apartment. Xiun hadn't even bothered coming by, no doubt trying to avoid a confrontation, and he felt grateful for it. A day was all he needed to sort his thoughts out.

He prepared himself a salad from the groceries his sister had in her fridge and was about to start eating it when the doorbell rang. He walked over to the door and opened it.

"Why am I not surprised she went straight to you…" he said immediately after seeing Sakura in front of him.

She invited herself in ignoring his comment as she calmly entered the living room looking around. "What is this that I hear of you missing practice?"

"I wasn't aware I needed to excuse myself with other people besides my coach."

"Really?" she turned around to look at him.

He closed the door and sighed before walking over to her. "I needed to think."

"You couldn't think enough over the weekend? You even stayed behind for a couple of hours more while we all came back from the cabin. Last time I checked, is not normal for you to miss practice."

He kept staring at her. It was true. Staying more time than usual on the cabin, taking a day off practice, still being in her sister's apartment wasn't normal indeed. And yet there was something that had bothered him since the moment he had started discovering everything about her since she arrived on China. "How did you get here Sakura?"

She curiously looked at him not knowing if he had really lost his mind or something. "What do you mean?"

"How did you get here? How did you get into China and ended up working with my father?" he asked.

For the second time since she had met Syaoran she felt she couldn't read his eyes. "What does this has to do with you missing practice?"

He stared at her. "How Sakura?"

She heard him again. The seriousness behind his words almost cut at her heart. Then, she understood. She knew seven years ago that doing this would be a time bomb waiting to be activated but not caring then she still did it.

Her silence was enough to confirm his doubts. "Or should I ask what my parents offered? Was a position in the company part of the deal?"

"Don't insult me." She quickly replied.

"How did you get here?" he said a little louder than he had intended.

She didn't understand why but a sudden wave of nervousness swept over her after hearing his demanding voice. She took a deep breath before finally answering him. "I received a call from Xiefa the morning after we broke up. She said your father approved of me coming here and apply for a summer internship so I accepted the offer."

"The internship was for summer. You left before summer." He watched her hesitate but waited for her to talk.

She shook her head and took a deep breath before asking, "Why do you need to know this?"

"I told you already, I want to know."

His unwavering eyes let her know he wasn't backing down from this. Now, she understood what happened in her office last night. It wasn't just pain behind those words before leaving but disappointment as well. "I don't want to hurt you."

"We both know it's too late for that." He softly said.

She hesitated before nodding and beginning. "Your parents came to our high school soccer tournament, the one that I coordinated the year before leaving. Your mother praised me for what I did in the tournament and spoke to me about considering project management as a future. At the moment I wasn't sure so I didn't tell her anything but I did stayed in communication with your sister after the tournament. And then on January I heard about the internship from her. She told me your parents were interested in me going over for the summer and learn about the company and what a project manager did."

She took another breath before continuing. "I didn't answer until the day after we broke up. Along with your missed calls there was one from Xiefa. I called her back and told her I would take it. They agreed on paying for my ticket to apply for it. When I got here I spoke to your mother. I told her there was no point in me applying since she already knew what I could do. So instead I asked her to help me with my studies so I could graduate from high school while I stayed here in China. She agreed and after that I started working in here while finishing high school by sending my exams through email."

He kept staring at her. "There's something you're still not telling me. My father's trust is not easily gained for people who are not family. My sister is my mother's right hand but you are my father's."

Once again, his mind was something that had always attracted her. From the moment she had met him years ago the way his mind analyzed things captivated her. His intelligence had always amazed her while at the same time it challenged her to be better. She nodded.

He slowly breathed out letting loose the air he didn't even know when he started holding while trying to calm himself down. "Are you the reason why I'm still playing?" he carefully asked.

She looked at him carefully before answering, "Perhaps."

"It's a yes or no question." He quickly said.

She took a deep breath before finally saying, "I graduated from college a year earlier than most students do. When I graduated, your mother spoke to me about Xian letting you play if he were to find a competent substitute for you in the company and I told her to consider me. When she told me, I never thought of you playing but in me and my career. Not everyone gets the privilege of working at your father's side so I took the chance not for you but for me. You playing because of me or not was never my intention, I made the decision for myself."

He narrowed his eyes at her answer, "Is that your way of saying you don't feel bad for being manipulated by my parents?"

"Manipulated?" She scoffed and smiled while looking away for a quick second before looking back at him. "I got what I wanted and I love what I do for a living. What manipulation do you see in that?"

He sadly smiled and shook his head. "What am I to you Sakura? Am I some toy you can just throw against the wall and walk over it thinking it will never break?"

She felt her tears forming in her eyes but quickly blinked them away. "I told you I didn't want to hurt you."

He shook his head again, "So, it's either go play in the European league like my mother wants me to or stay in China because my parents made sure you stayed here and for some stupid reason I still can't let you go."

"Syaoran-"

He shook his head. "Close the door on your way out," he said turning around and walking towards the bar where he left his salad. He knew he had hurt her but the way he was feeling was unavoidable. He hated been manipulated. He had left home years ago because of his mother's habit of wanting to control his life but this time it was different. He had been manipulated by Sakura even though she knew how he felt about this.

She opened the door and turned one more time to look at his back, "You may feel hurt or angry with me, but your team doesn't need to pay for this."

He heard the door open and waited for it to close again before sitting down in the bar stool. He looked at his salad before putting it aside and rubbing his hands through his face. He started thinking about his mother. From as far back as he could remember there had never been a day where she wouldn't get what she wanted. Whether it was with her clients, his sisters, and even his father, his mother always found a way of having her way with things. He had tried to get away from her manipulative ways when he left for Japan and yet this morning he ended up signing in Europe after all. But signing had never been an issue before, the real problem was that at the end of the day his decision hadn't been his at all… it had been Sakura's.

He sighed. Soon, he would have to go back to his house and pack his clothes. His coach wanted all of them to stay at the hotel while they started their final practices for the tournament.

~ o ~

Couple of hours later, Syaoran drove through the parking lot of the hotel and parked his car. He reached the hotel earlier than most of the guys hoping to find his coach before anyone else so he could talk to him. Getting out of his car, he opened the trunk and took his bag out before closing it again and walking into the hotel. He looked around several times and noticed some of his fans where already watching him and getting their cameras ready as usual.

He sighed and simply walked inside without stopping. Usually he wasn't so antisocial when it came to fans but today was different. It hadn't been the best of weekends and so far his week hadn't started too good either. He was definitely not in a good mood.

As he walked his first steps into the hotel, he looked around searching for his coach. He walked towards the front desk and saw Tan waiting in one of the tables. 'Oh great! Just when I thought my day couldn't get worse…' he thought at the sight.

"Li! What a lovely surprise to have you show up." Tan sarcastically said while looking at him as he reached the front desk.

Syaoran didn't look at him as he waited for the front desk lady to attend him with his check in. It wasn't a secret to anyone on the team that he didn't get along with Tan at all. It had always been like that. Since Syaoran started on the national team, Tan had always been after him. Back then, Syaoran had been the rookie on Tan's last year playing. And while Tan played most of the minutes in the field, he had never been able to kiss the cup. In his last game played with the national team, he had been sub by Syaoran in the last couple of minutes of the game. Syaoran took his playing turn and scored a goal on that game but in vain as they lost to Japan 3-2.

"Li, Syaoran checking in." he smiled at the front desk lady and waited for her to retreat before looking at him. "Is coach already here?"

Tan smirked. "Had a good sleep this morning?"

"Here you go." The front desk lady gave him his room keys and made him sign before going back to working.

Syaoran looked at his keys before turning his gaze to Tan again. "Tell coach I want to speak with him when you see him."

"I'm not your messenger boy." Tan simply said.

"I wasn't aware you were my nanny either."

Tan stopped smiling. He quickly stood up and walked towards Syaoran till he was in front of him. "Just because you are the little star of this team doesn't mean you can do whatever you want."

"Are you jealous already? The tournament hasn't even started yet." Syaoran smirked.

"Jealous?" Tan scoffed. "See with what face you can call the rookies slackers again after missing this morning's practice."

Syaoran met his stare. "Is that what's really bothering you or is it that I truly have a chance of winning this cup?"

"Syaoran!"

He heard his name been called from the side and turned his face to see Takashi approaching. He smiled and ignored Tan as he dropped his bag while giving his long time friend a hug.

"Hey man! How've you been?" Takashi asked.

"Good. Ready to beat your ass." Syaoran said before grabbing his bag from the floor again.

Takashi laughed. "You don't change. Where's the rest of the guys?"

Syaoran shrugged. "They'll be here soon. How's Chiharu doing?"

"Pissed for not been able to come to the tournament." He answered with a smirk. "She's almost on that eight month milestone now. Hopefully she won't go into labor during the tournament."

Syaoran laughed. He couldn't believe Takashi was having his third baby now. He walked along side his friend as he retreated from the front desk leaving Tan behind. "When did you get here?"

"We flew in this afternoon. But, overall she's doing good."

"Finally the boy huh!" Syaoran said.

Takashi smirked. "Well, you know what they say, third time's the charm."

He laughed at Takashi's comment while walking with him to one of the tables aside. They sat down and kept talking as they waited for the rest of the guys to reach the hotel.

~ o ~

The next day, Sakura spent most of her time inspecting Suri's work at the stadium. She found everything to be in place down to the last diminutive detail which encouraged her decision of promoting her. It had been four good years having her as an assistant and now she couldn't teach her anything else. She was right where she needed to be and ready for the next step.

After making sure everything was ready with the VIP room at the stadium and meeting with the kitchen chefs, Suri and her went back to the office. Sakura sat down in her desk and opened up a drawer to take a small package out.

"Suri!" Sakura called from her office. Minutes later Suri appeared on the door waiting with a notebook on hand. "Please come in and sit down."

Suri nodded and walked over to take a sit in front of her. Sakura waited for her to be sited before handing her an iPad. She curiously looked at it before looking back up to Sakura with questioning eyes. "What's this?"

"This is your new iPad. It contains all the information you need pertaining your new project. The time frame is two years and you get to choose your first team of five."

Suri kept looking at Sakura with incredulous eyes. "I don't understand. Are you going somewhere?"

Sakura smiled and shook her head. "Congratulations! As of today, you are one of Li Enterprises' project managers."

"Is this true?" Suri kept staring at Sakura. She kept thinking Sakura at some point of the conversation would tell her it was a joke but she didn't hear any of that.

Sakura chuckled and nodded. "Now, I will be assisting your meetings to see where everything is standing and informing Xian about it but other than that all calls are yours."

"Oh! Thank you so much for this opportunity. I promise you I won't let you down." She excitedly said.

Sakura smiled and nodded. "I'm sure you won't. You've already demonstrated to me that you can handle things on your own. So know this, I have complete faith in that you will be able to develop your first project without problems. If you need anything you know you can always ask even if you are the one handling the project. And last but not least, have fun doing it. "

Suri excitedly got out of her seat, walked over to Sakura, and gave her a hug. "Thank you! Thank you! I'm so excited."

Sakura chuckled and waited until the hug ended to say, "Now, our last project together is the Cup. After that, I'll be taking a new intern to torture so you will move from your desk to your own office. I'm sure Xiefa will probably tell you where it is once she finds out her father approved this. But, until the Cup is over you're still my assistant so… I'm leaving tomorrow for Japan and will be coming back on Saturday with Yuki so make sure that the kitchen is ready. Call him and see if he needs us to get him anything in particular before he gets here."

"What about that lady that wanted to meet with you? Ms. Katherine, I believe was her name... I put her on your calendar so you could approve or not." Suri asked.

"You can scratch that one. I'm not speaking with her." Sakura was about to get in her computer before she remembered, "Oh, tell Xiefa about her. I don't want any surprises in three weeks when the tournament starts."

"She did seem a little impatient about wanting to speak with you. She said it was urgent."

Sakura shook her head. "It isn't. She just wants to get into the tournament. If she calls again just let her know that the answer is no and if she has problems with that she can write a letter and send it to customer service."

Suri nodded. She turned around and started walking back towards her desk but stopped midway and looked back at Sakura. "Thank you again for this."

Sakura smiled at her. "Just enjoy it. Always give more than you think you can give and never take anything for granted. You'll see it in the outcome of your project and trust me when I say there's nothing more satisfying for a project manager than knowing all your efforts are well worth it."

Suri nodded and exited her office.

Sakura sighed. In a way, knowing Suri had been able to learn all of this from her brought a good warm feeling inside of her. She was truly proud of her assistant and yet, thinking that she would have to get a new intern started giving her a headache.

~ o ~

He had spent the entire day between reading documents that were work related and thinking about his girlfriend and the fight they had the other night. She had decided to spend that night in the office and yet when she came in the other day it had been too late to even talk about it. He hated going to bed been mad or having words unspoken between them. It had always been a dangerous playground for him every time they did so he decided to wait for her awake tonight even if she came to the apartment really late.

Jun stared at the door anxiously while taking a sip of his warm fresh tea. He had made it with the sole purpose of calming his nerves as he wasn't too sure of how this conversation would end up. Needless to say the whole tea drink was not helping at all.

As he took his next sip, he heard the door lock unclip and saw Sakura entering the apartment. He watched her from the dining table while drinking some more from his cup thinking on how to start this conversation. "How was your day?" he calmly asked.

She sighed putting her keys and purse on the receiver table by the side. "It was okay. I promote Suri today which made me realize I need to find a new intern now to start training again."

He smiled. "Well, that's good news."

She nodded not feeling too excited about it. "And yours?" she asked.

"Very entertaining reading a bunch of work papers and stuff." He said with his tea cup in hand.

She chuckled before looking at him entirely. As usual, her mind was already analyzing each movement he made. It had become some sort of habit after working so closely with Xian for years. "What are you drinking?"

"Chamomile Tea. It's really good for-"

He was about to finish his sentence when she did it for him. "Relaxing? Calming down?"

He smile and nodded.

She sighed. After having the fight with Syaoran, the least she wanted to do right now was to deal with a situation that would add up to the stress she was feeling now but understood that it was necessary. "Well, since you are calmed now, do you understand why I was mad?"

"It's not that I don't understand Sakura, but so far the guy has done nothing but get on my nerves since I found out you two dated and you haven't even considered my feelings when it comes to him. Then two days ago you get mad at me because I didn't consider your thoughts on something that I said to him?" He shook his head before continuing. "I've told you I don't feel comfortable when he's around, I've told you I don't trust him and yet, a couple of months ago we were staying at his house and now an entire weekend with him."

"This isn't about you not trusting him, it's about us and the way we handle our relationship Jun. Whatever Syaoran does or doesn't do has nothing to do with us. Regardless of the way you feel about him, our decisions we have always taken them together. Even the staying at his house or this last weekend we spent at the cabin, they were decisions we both discussed before doing them."

"Yes, but you knew how I felt about them and still did them how you pleased. I went there as soon as my seminar was over and found you playing with him on the ground. Then a couple of days later he asks me if you had already broken up with me so I'm sorry but it just came out."

She looked at his eyes and then his hands. It was certain he was already getting anxious with the conversation. And the way she was feeling right now… she only wanted to take a shower and throw herself in her bed. She took a deep breath before calmly saying, "I told you already Jun, you need to trust me."

"It was before that talk."

She nodded and sighed. "Still, for me part of been in a relationship means counting on the other person to make decisions… especially if what's been discussed pertains to that person as well. Even if you don't like some of my decisions, I like to discuss them with you before doing something about it."

He nodded. "I'm sorry. And this time I really mean it." He said thinking about the last words he heard from her before she took off to the office that night.

She nodded and smile. "You know I hate fighting. We're leaving tomorrow for Japan. I'll accompany you to your political activity, and we'll have some alone time which I so think we need right now." She said walking towards him and throwing her arms around his neck.

He smiled at her and kissed her.

"Can't wait!" he said quickly after breaking the kiss.

~ o ~

The next morning, practice had started at six as usual. He jogged through the left side of the field passing the center line and into the other side of the field. He received the ball from the air and put it down on the field. After dribbling the ball through his feet a couple of times, he faked to go in through the left side before turning right and kicking the ball towards the net but he missed his shot. He stared at the missed shot and exhaled before looking down and jogging towards the other side.

"What the heck is wrong with him?" Mark asked Eriol.

Eriol, who had just watched his friend miss the shot from the other side of the field, shook his head. "I don't know." he said though inside he knew what was wrong. That shot looked a lot like the one he missed years ago on the Junior Asia Cup. If there were a bet going around that had to do with the reason as to why he missed the shot he would bet all he had on the answer that said Sakura.

"Syaoran! Is there any reason why you can't find the net?" their coach loudly asked from the field. "You took Monday off and now think you can come to practice like this?"

If he heard his coach, he didn't give any signal that would let others know. He had texted his coach on Monday to let him know he would take the day off for personal reasons. His coach had been furious on Tuesday when they spoke about it but it didn't change anything. Two days had gone by and he was still pissed off with Sakura, pissed off with his parents for even offering her a job, and even pissed off with himself for caring so much.

His practices had helped him in the past to get his mind off things before but this was different. Even practice was not helping him at all. For the first time in his life he felt betrayed by her. Betrayed because she knew him better than anyone else and yet she still agreed to this deal. Since he had been a child, he hated the feeling of been manipulated by his parents and she knew this. It was the reason why he had pushed the idea of playing and studying in Japan instead of staying in China. He wanted to have control over his own life instead of his parents controlling him.

Syaoran watched as the second goalie stopped a shot made by Kyu and started jogging towards the other side of the field. Xiun watched as the goalkeeper kicked the ball high in the air. He jumped from the middle of the field to hit the ball with his head and the ball bounced towards Syaoran. As he hit the ground, he looked at the ball and then at Syaoran, who had been out of focus the entire practice.

Syaoran jumped without noticing another rookie jumping as well for the ball. He hit the ball with his head and felt the rookie slam into him on his left side. The push led him to try and adjust his landing but when his feet touched the ground he immediately regretted practicing unfocused.

~ o ~

"I'm just leaving everything ready in the office. I can't afford to come back and find everything in a mess." She said on the phone while cleaning up her desk as much as possible. She had left early from the apartment to go to the office and left a note for Jun to find out once he woke up.

"_Well, I'm downstairs waiting. I'm sure your boss wouldn't mind leaving your car here in the office."_

Sakura chuckled. "I'll be downstairs in a couple of minutes. I'm almost done here. Just need to grab a couple of papers-"

She was speaking with her boyfriend on the phone when suddenly her office door was flung open by an almost trembling Suri. Sakura looked at her curiously and at the same time bothered for having been interrupted while she was talking with her boyfriend but she didn't even speak. She just grabbed her TV remote control and turned the TV on.

"Hold on a sec babe." Sakura put her cell phone in mute so that he wouldn't hear what she was about to say to Suri. "Can I please have some privacy Suri?"

Suri shook her head. "I just heard it on the radio..." She fidgeted with the remote till she found the news.

_According to the medics, it is uncertain how much time he'll be out for until all of the tests have been performed and they have the results on hand. The video you're seeing right now is of famous soccer player Li, Syaoran who was taken out of the field in an ambulance this afternoon with an ankle injury. He injured himself at practice today, three weeks from the World Cup tournament about to start. We repeat, this has just come in. Once we have more information we'll keep updating and keep you posted on Li's health._

She froze. She didn't even notice when Xiefa had walked in.

"You need to postpone your flight," were the words that came out of Xiefa's mouth as soon as she entered Sakura's office.

Sakura shook her head while still looking at the screen, "I can't! Jun is waiting for me downstairs."

"Sakura! My brother needs you."

"My flight leaves in three hours Xiefa. Jun needs me to be there by his side and I told him I'd be there."

If Xiefa had heard her she gave no indication that she minded what Sakura had just said and in a louder voice said, "Work wise Xiolang is one of our biggest assets for this tournament. You're going to tell me you will still leave while knowing this will affect our company?"

"This may affect the company but I'll be able to handle it when I get back over the weekend." Sakura's voice was also starting to get louder with the whole confrontation.

"Sakura!" Xiefa loudly exclaimed.

She heard Xiefa's loud voice before she snapped. "Xiefa, you're brother and I where done seven years ago."

"What? You dated Li?" Suri quickly looked at her boss surprised at the news and asked.

Sakura immediately regretted the words that came out of her mouth. Since the moment she saw him again she had tried to avoid the subject. In fact, the least people that knew about it the better. And yet, she was so tired of everything.

Xiefa heard her loud and clear but she didn't stop either. "This is not about the past. You know it isn't but what about Xiolang? He needs you more than ever now! Will you leave while he's in the hospital? I'm sure going home is not as important as this."

She took the last folders she needed for the trip and put them on her briefcase. "I'll see you when I get back." It was all she said before walking past Xiefa and into the elevator. She hit the first floor and calmly waited while thinking about the news. To have this injury three weeks before the tournament started shouldn't be that bad for a soccer player, but then again… he had to be taken out in an ambulance. 'When has an ankle injury been so bad as to be taken out in an ambulance?' she thought.

~ o ~

_"Kate, medics still have no date yet as to when Li Syaoran will recuperate and be ready. From the information we have, he was at practice and tore his ankle. Now we have here Kai who is a retired professional athlete. He used to play as well on the China national team back in his days, Kai what can you tell us about Li's ankle? Do you think he will be able to play in the World Cup?"_

_"Well, to tell you the truth, I texted his trainer when I heard about the news and it doesn't look good. Some trainers were talking about surgery, others about a level 3 tore which will probably take about almost two months to recover. If it is a level 3 tore which doesn't require surgery, then it's almost certain he will be missing the tournament but without an MRI it is not possible to know for sure."_

_"Where you able to talk to Li?"_

_"I wasn't. From what I hear he is very well guarded on the hospital but his trainer said he is taking it as best as an athlete like him would take it. Obviously these are not good news for anyone and this was something he never expected but it is a game and in every sport you are exposed to these kinds of injuries."_

_"Well Ashley we are still trying to see if we can get the trainer for an interview but till we do, back to you."_

_"Well, thanks Kate for that piece of info-"_

Her boyfriend had offered to buy some coffee which had been perfect because she had time to watch the news while he was away. She looked at her side and what she saw commoved her. A kid, no greater than seven years was plugging his father's pants while crying and asking why Li couldn't play in the tournament.

His fans had been devastated from the moment the first news came out of his injury. According to the news as well, they had already started sending him messages throughout social sites, most of them wishing him a prompt recovery. He had already received thousands and thousands of them and still counting.

Two months… she couldn't believe this was happening. After all he had sacrificed to be in that tournament to have this injury happen three weeks before the tournament started was a shame indeed.

"Here love, your coffee." she looked up to see Jun offering her the cup of coffee he went to go get for her.

"Thanks." She smiled as she took her cup.

"It's a shame about your friend. Even if I don't like him, I know it must be tough for him."

She nodded to acknowledge his comment but in fact her thoughts were way off from the airport. Worry filled her mind knowing how he must've been feeling right now.

"Flight 247 departing to Osaka, Japan will start boarding the airplane in a couple of minutes."

"Well, that's us!" Jun said.

"This isn't right." she lowly said.

"What do you mean?" Jun looked at his boarding pass, "It's our flight baby."

She knew this would probably hit him harder than perhaps Syaoran's ankle right now but she looked at him, "I can't go with you."

"What?" he looked at her dumbfounded by her statement.

"I can't get on that plane with you." She looked at him and calmly said, "We have talked about this but I feel like right now is not the time. And I know you will hate what I'm about to say but there's no other way of putting this. My job for this tournament is the advertising and right now Syaoran is our main advertisement. I can't get on that plane with you Jun. I need to fix this. Please forgive me." She stood up and started to walk away.

"Sakura!" he stared at her.

She turned to look at him after hearing her name but quickly said, "Please forgive me, I need to go. I'll call you later." It was all she said before dashing out of the airport and calling a taxi.

**Author's note:** Finally! Chapter 9 is done. I was really trying to get this chapter out for September but it ended up taking one more week than expected. So sorry for the late update! I hope you guys like it thought. I was so happy for last chapter's reviews and feedbacks. It's really encouraging for me to read that people are liking this story and it helps a lot to keep writing it and posting it. So, thank you so much for the reviews.


	10. Chapter 10 - Longing

"_**Don't tell me you miss me. Tell me you're on your way to see me. Actions speak louder than words. – Brigitte**_

**Chapter 10  
"Longing"**

Ring

Ring

"Can somebody please get that!" Xiefa said already irritated by the sound of ringing phones.

"Li Corporation offices, one moment please." Her secretary answered the phone and quickly put the call on hold while answering another line.

Ring

"Li Corporation offices, one moment please."

She stood up from her desk and closed the door. Phones were ringing off the hook since Syaoran's injury came on the news this morning. Having a fight with Sakura moments after didn't help her foul mood at all. She went to her desk again and started analyzing the documents her assistant had left her on how the rest of the projects where doing. It seemed the number of contracts had increased about 17% in the last couple of weeks. No doubt their work on the Kahi tournament and World Cup had something to do with it. Before she could pass to the second page, she heard her door open and close. As she looked up, she found her mother walking towards her desk. Her livid face demanded Xiefa's undivided attention as she reached her and locked her arms on her desk in front of her.

"I want you to get him out of the hotel. Convince him to come home!"

"Mother..." she put the papers down. Her mother had never been an easy person to deal with. Much less when she had just walked in hysterically demanding for her brother to be taken to their house instead of the hotel. "The doctors still haven't said anything yet. We should wait."

Yelan stared at her daughter. "I just talked to the doctor. They will be giving him two months to recover."

Xiefa stared at her mother, "Are you sure about this?"

Yelan raised a brow to her own daughter, "What kind of question is that to ask your mother Xiefa... Get him out of the hotel!" she demanded.

Xiefa stared at her mother but didn't dare say anything else. Obviously the situation aggravated her mother's temperament, as it usually did whenever it came to her dearest brother, but since she had heard the news herself she had tried to stay away from this. She didn't want to be involved in any of this. It wasn't that she wasn't concern for her brother but right now there were so many things at stake in the company and even her father had left the office the moment he found out about the incident.

And then off course there was Sakura. The moment she heard the news she thought she could trust her friend to do the right thing and yet she had decided to take that stupid plane after all.

Xiefa sighed. 'I'm screwed!' she thought knowing she truly didn't have a way out of this one. Getting Syaoran out of the hotel… That meant having to talk to him first about their mother's wishes which would probably lead to an argument between what their mother wanted and what he as a player wanted. Not to mention having to convince him about staying at home, which she was absolutely certain he wouldn't agree to. She could imagine the argument already in her head. She rubbed her temple with her fingers as she started to feel the traces of a headache building itself in her head.

Suddenly, at the corner of her desk she saw her cell phone being illuminated by an incoming call. She saw the ID Caller and couldn't believe her eyes. 'I'm saved!' She picked up the call, "Aren't you supposed to be on a plane by now?"

_"Where is he?"_ she heard from the other side of the line.

Xiefa smirked as Yelan looked at her curiously, "I didn't know my brother's injury was more important than your boyfriend's trip to Japan. I'll make a note on that..."

_"Before you make the note, tell me where he is."_

Xiefa knowingly smiled, "China's Central Hospital, Room 5023. And Sakura…?"

_"Yes?"_

"Make him come home." Xiefa said while looking at her mother. She didn't receive an answer from her before realizing she had hung up but she knew she would do it. "Problem solved mother."

The second she heard her daughter's words Yelan calmed down and sat on the sit in front of Xiefa's desk. "I thought Sakura was leaving for Japan today."

"I guess there was a change of plan…" she said while thinking that perhaps the change had been due to something else but time would tell. For now, her deed had been done.

~ o ~

She reached the hospital, quickly took the elevator and pressed the number for his floor. When the doors opened, it didn't take her long to know where he was. Reporters were everywhere around the front desk waiting on news of him. She had heard from the news at the airport that he was heavily guarded but been heavily guarded wasn't working on her favor now.

She stared at the group of reporters waiting outside and tried to think of a plan for getting inside his hallway without grabbing too much attention to herself but luck wasn't on her side. Finding no other way, she went to the front desk and announced herself as Xian's right hand who needed to immediately get in there before getting fired by her boss. Some reporters looked at her after hearing her while a couple of nurses looked at her but didn't believe her. Luckily for her one of them recognized her from the TV and confirmed who she was.

"Come with me, quickly." The nurse said.

She followed the nurse into another hallway which ran parallel to the one Syaoran was staying at. They walked around the hospital for several minutes till the nurse opened a door with her ID card and allowed her in quickly before the rest of the reporters could get in.

"At the end, turn left and you will find the door for his hallway."

Sakura nodded. "Thank you." She said before following her directions. As the nurse had explained, she found the door at the end of the hallway and opened it. She looked at various room doors and followed the numbers till she finally found his agent outside of the room waiting with several other people. She kept looking around and found Xian in a corner. Although on the outside his calmed collected face let others know the type of business man he was, she could see the change of relief in his eyes as soon as their eyes met. He kept staring at her but only nodded his approval.

She sighed before walking towards his door.

"He doesn't want to see anyone." Choi said to her.

"It's fine." She told him before entering and closing the door after. She walked a few steps till she saw him on the hospital bed. He was looking out the window with his right leg up in a holder that kept it in place and stabilized. At the sound of her heals on the floor, he turned his head and saw her. The moment she saw his face she knew he was broken. His puffy eyes were a clear indication that he had been crying since the incident. He probably hadn't been able to think of anything more than the tournament.

She smiled and sighed, "Well, I heard something really funny today on TV."

He closed his eyes, "I said I didn't want to see anyone." He said in almost a whisper.

"Don't you want to know what it was?" she asked while walking towards him.

"Sakura-"

"I heard that doctors were talking about giving you two months out to recover. Can you believe that joke…? Do they honestly know who they're talking about?" she chuckled as she approached the bed. She put her purse in an armchair that was by the bed and sat next to him on the bed.

"I'm not in the mood for joking around Sakura. I mean it."

"Who said I was joking?"

"This was my dream. You know that." Not being able to hide his broken voice he once again fell silent. A tear fell from his eyes again as he whipped it with his hand and turned again to look outside the window.

She watched as he took a deep breath before turning his face away from her. It pained her to see him go through this as she had never seen him like this in her life. The sadness in his eyes was something she wasn't used to seeing. This was not him. This was not the Syaoran she knew. He was broken, yes… she could allow him to be broken but she wasn't about to let him pity himself for it. She caressed his cheek and made him turn his face to look at her again. "This is still your dream Syaoran. Nothing has changed."

He took her hand from his face, "Sakura-"

"No! You twisted your ankle… big deal. The tournament lasts a month or so and it starts in three weeks. Do you honestly think an ankle can rob you of your dream? I don't think so. I refuse to believe that. You can still make this tournament. It'll be hard, and it will probably feel worse before it gets better, but if it's this hard then it must be because it's worth it."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Why are you here?"

She smirked, "Isn't it obvious, none of these idiots know how to put you in your place."

He shook his head. "Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be in Japan?" He had heard about her little trip when he overheard his mother talking to his sister over the phone earlier.

She looked at him sternly. After their last conversation things hadn't ended okay between them. She knew he was still mad at her but regardless she needed him to recover. She needed to know that he would be fine. "Because you need to play in this tournament."

He narrowed his eyes at her, "because it might screw up your job?"

"Because you left me for it!" She sighed and looked away not wanting to see his reaction. After his silence she slowly looked at him and softly spoke again. "Our breakup wasn't easy for me Syaoran and I know it wasn't easy for you either. So at least you make the pain be worth it and play."

He shook his head and sighed understanding what she meant. He reached to caress her face but she slapped his hand away.

"I'm still with Jun." she carelessly said before casually continuing. "I bet victory will even taste better after this…" She smiled. "I'll be right back." She started to walk towards the door.

"Sakura!"

She turned and looked at him.

"Thanks."

She nodded. "I need to talk to your doctor to see when is the soonest he can release you. Then I'll talk to your coach to get you home."

He shook his head, "No! I should be with the team."

"You're in no condition to be with the team right now Syaoran. It won't do them any good to see you this way. Besides, your home is the perfect place for you to concentrate on your rehab."

"Sakura-"

She could hear the warning in his voice but decided not to mind. "I'll make the arrangements and be right back."

He watched her leave. As she shut the door after walking out, he sighed giving up. He still couldn't say no to her.

~ o ~

She walked out and looked at Choi. "Where's the doctor? I want to talk to him."

"He said he would be back after the results of the MRI are out. That was about an hour ago."

She nodded but still walked towards the hallway with the intention of finding him. After turning around for the third time, she finally found a man with a blue robe which she guessed could be the doctor.

"Doctor, I need to know the extent of Li's injury." She directly said to the doctor.

He looked at her curiously before saying, "I'm sorry miss but that's strictly confidential. Unless you are an authorized family member I can't give you such information."

"It's okay doctor. I authorize you to give her all the information she asks for." Xian said walking from behind the wall. It was obvious he had followed Sakura here.

The doctor nodded. "I'll go for his file right now and be back in a couple of minutes." He said while excusing himself.

Sakura turned halfway around to find Xian looking at her. He walked towards her so he could speak to her without letting others know of their conversation. "I want you to take care of Syaoran's recuperation."

She stared at Xian. "I'm not a doctor neither a trainer, I'm a project manager."

He stared at her back and sighed. He knew it would probably be difficult to ask this of her but he didn't see any other way around this. "I don't trust people easily Sakura. I'm sure my son got that from me as well. I'm not asking this as your boss but as a father. Take care of his recuperation. You are good following up with things and making sure everything is under control. I'm only asking you to do that. He trusts you more than he does these doctors."

She turned her face and sighed. "Even if he does, what difference will it make? He just needs a good trainer to get back up and running again."

Xian knowingly smiled. "I'm sure he'll need more than that. The doctors are giving him two months. I want him to be examined by our family doctor so he can confirm when is the earliest time he can get back into the field. As for the difference, I'll tell you. A couple of minutes ago he rejected the mere thought of going back home with us and yet for some reason I believe he won't refuse that suggestion any longer. Off course, I can always go back and ask him if my thoughts are right…"

She looked back at him and knew she had lost this battle.

"On Monday you said Suri was ready, make her handle the rest of the tournament unless she really needs your help. Before you say anything, I'm not getting you out of this tournament, only minimizing your workload so you may have time to oversee my son's recuperation." He smiled at her all-ready-to-protest face and added, "Other than that, I'm pretty sure your boss will understand." He chuckle turning around and walking away leaving no doubt for objections.

She scoffed. What nerve! He was her boss! She watched his retreating figure through the white corridors of the hospital before turning around and finding the doctor walking towards her.

"Well, here it is. His MRI just came back. It's fortunate he doesn't have any ruptures so he won't need surgery but his injury is a level three ligament tear. So his recuperation time should be around six to eight weeks just to be sure."

She nodded. "When can he leave?"

"Well, since the MRI just came out, I'd say in about an hour or so. First we need to complete his documentation. Then, after that, he's free to go."

She nodded again. "Thank you."

"Now, if you'll excuse me I'll give the news to the rest of the authorized members."

She waited for the doctor to be out of the hallway before taking out her phone. "Xiefa, your brother is going home in about an hour and a half. Tell your mother to have one of the bottom bedrooms ready for him. No stairs until he is up and walking."

"_Well, at least mother will be happy."_

"Also, text me your family doctors' phone number. I need to speak with him."

"_Will do." It was all Xiefa said before hanging up the phone._

~ o ~

After hours of waiting for Syaoran's release papers, they were now waiting on the nurses to get him on the wheelchair to head home. Reporters had been hard to deal with since they were all trying to get a piece of the latest news. They had all stayed in front of the hallway doors with their cameras and microphones ready waiting for that moment when Syaoran would be taken out.

Xian, been who he was, asked for a chopper to take his son home. He looked at Sakura while they waited for the doctors to get Syaoran ready for departure. "Did you talk to Ryu?"

She nodded. "He's waiting for us at the house."

He nodded and smiled at seeing his son getting out in the wheelchair. "Good. Right this way." He said making sure the nurse would follow him.

Sakura looked at Syaoran who in turn looked at her back. She could see the tiredness in his eyes along with something else she hadn't seen in a long time… Fear. She smiled at him hoping it would give him some sort of comfort.

"Now," the doctor started talking to her, "I have prescribed these painkillers for the first couple of days."

After hearing the word painkillers, she looked at the doctor. "He can't take just any painkillers. The only painkillers he'll be able to take are those approved by the soccer federation. I'll have his agent sent you the list of approved substances so you can prescribe him painkillers according to the rules."

The doctor looked at her a little surprised by her answer but nodded. "Very well. I'll wait for the list then."

"Thank you."

The nurse pushed Syaoran through as she followed Mr. Li to the roof where the chopper was waiting for them. Syaoran took the chance to ask Sakura, "Are you coming with us?"

She looked around at the various nurses who curiously looked at her before replying, "I'm right behind you." She motioned for the nurse behind him to continue pushing his wheelchair.

~ o ~

It was already afternoon. The team had finished practice a little bit earlier than usual, due to Syaoran's injury, and headed back to the hotel. Their coach gave them some free time to roam through the hotel and make themselves comfortable before having gym training in a couple of hours.

Although they all knew they should be concentrating on their training, none of them had their heads were they needed to have them. They were all worried about Syaoran's health. They had been expecting news from his recovery when practice was over but they received none. Which made them believe his injury was worst than what they'd have imagine.

"Eriol, have you received any news?" Mark asked him.

Eriol simply shook his head. "I tried texting my cousin but she hasn't answered yet."

Mark nodded. "Maybe Suri knows something." He said while taking out his phone.

"Suri?" Kyu curiously asked him. "Do you have her phone number?"

Mark nodded but seeing Kuy's curious face made him add, "I'm not going to say anything about her just to let you know… I'll only ask her about Li's injury." Mark took out his phone and dialed her number.

"What makes you think Suri knows more than his own sister?" Kyu asked him.

"Her boss is the one coordinating all of the tournament's arrangements. I'm sure she should know something by now. It's pretty strange we still haven't had any news on him." Mark said while waiting for her to answer and walking away from them.

"Guys, I just heard it on the news. It's official, the doctors are giving him two months out for recovery." Xiun approached them from the elevator doors. He had seen his friends in the lobby and overheard their conversation as he approached them.

Mark quickly ended the call and looked at Xiun.

"What? Are you sure?" Eriol asked.

Xiun nodded. "It's all over the news. It's a level three tear in his ankle. They are supposedly still waiting on the MRI but so far the doctors have already confirmed he will be out for two months."

Kyu turned his eyes from Xiun to look at Eriol. "Do you think coach will allow us to see him?"

Eriol shook his head. "I don't know."

"How about you, as his cousin?" Mark asked.

"I don't know Mark." Eriol answered. He was frustrated with the news. Losing Syaoran now could very much cost them the Cup, there was no doubt about that. Even all of them, as a team, knew that. He ran his hands through his hair and when he looked up he saw Xiefa walking inside the hotel main doors. Along with her, a group of three guys accompanied her. He saw her walking towards the elevator and didn't waste time as he walked towards her.

The guys all wondered what was going on with him but it was Kyu who answered their silent question. "That's his cousin."

"Ah." Mark nodded.

~ o ~ 

"Xiefa!" Eriol called as he quickly walked towards her.

Xiefa looked at her cousin and sighed. She knew perfectly well why he was walking towards her.

He waited for the elevator doors to open and walked inside with her. She pressed the floor were the entire team was staying so he guessed she was here to pick up Syaoran's things. He didn't want to raise any suspicion or grab too much attention to them so as soon as the doors closed he finally asked, "How's Syaoran? Is it true what their saying in the news? Is he going to be out for two months?"

"They gave him six to eight weeks but father wants Ryu to check him as well. His MRI just came back and thankfully he doesn't need surgery."

"So, he'll be out for the entire tournament?" He asked.

She looked at him and understood his concern. Most likely his entire team was also worried with the news. "Your team is not just Syaoran, Eriol."

He looked at her. "A team is a team when we are all together no matter the circumstances. When one of us is hurt, we all hurt as well."

She nodded and smiled. Out of all of her cousins, Eriol had always been the most analytical. "Then I will say this, hold your team together for him. There is a slight chance he may be able to play."

He quickly looked at her.

"But, Eriol, when I say slight it means really slight chance. So I wouldn't be going around your team spreading the news. It might all be false hope if he's not able to do it."

He nodded.

"He's already out of the hospital and Ryu is waiting to inspect him at home. After that, he'll start rehab over there. Father is already taking care of that and Sakura will oversee his recuperation."

"Sakura?" he looked at her. "Do you think that's wise?"

She smiled at her cousin and heard the beep of the elevator signaling they had reached their floor. "Oh, trust me, it's more than wise to do so." She said before walking out with her three companions who had in fact walked out to pick up Syaoran's stuff as Eriol had predicted.

Eriol kept watching his cousin walking away and kept thinking about her last comment. After the cabin, things had not ended well between Syaoran and Sakura. He knew that. Then again, Xiefa had always been a mastermind when it came to vision. Something she had, without a doubt, inherited from her father.

~ o ~

The trip to his house took about twenty minutes in the chopper. He was grateful that his father thought about the chopper instead of having to go through all of the reporters to get into a car and drive home. In his emotional state, dealing with reporters while getting out of the hospital was not something he thought he could do.

He could see the huge patio of his parent's house from the chopper quickly approaching. A memory of him playing as a kid with the ball in this green field made his injury worst to bear. A tear escaped his eyes and he quickly closed them to avoid any more from spilling. It was one of the reasons why he was so adamant to going back to this house. Since he was a child and discovered the game of soccer, his dream was winning that cup. Now that dream had been shattered. He felt Sakura's hand as she placed it on top of his and tightened it. He looked at her and sighed.

It was early afternoon as they waited for the chopper to finally reach the ground. He stepped out in his crutches and walked all the way to the house where his mother and the rest of his sisters were waiting for him. He also saw Ryu, their family doctor, waiting with them.

"Darling!" His mother said before giving him a hug. "I asked Wei to make you your favorite dish."

He shook his head. "Thanks but I'm not hungry."

His mother took his face in her hands. "You should eat something. You haven't had anything since this morning."

He still shook his head.

His mother didn't press the matter anymore and just nodded before looking at Sakura. "I've prepared his room downstairs as you suggested."

He looked back at Sakura nodding and didn't know what to think. First she was leaving with her fiancé, now she was at his side taking care of him. He wanted to think about what this meant yet right now wasn't the time. "I just want to lie down."

His mother nodded. "Very well. Feimei, can you take your brother to his room?"

Feimei nodded and walked slowly making sure Syaoran was following her. Ryu followed right next to him asking him some questions about how it happened.

Yelan waited for them to round the corner and looked at Sakura. "What did the doctor say?"

She sighed. "They're giving him six to eight weeks of recovery."

"That's a long time." Yelan said.

Sakura looked at Xian. "We need to find a good trainer and a physician."

"Do you think he'll be able to play?" he asked her.

"I don't know. It all depends on what Ryu say but I don't think it should take him eight weeks to recover."

Xian nodded.

"What about Choi? He'll be here tonight. Perhaps we can ask him to recommend someone." Yelan said to her husband.

He nodded and looked at Sakura. "Whatever you think it's necessary Sakura, just do it."

She nodded before walking towards the room as well. She watched as the doctor started coming out of it and took the chance to talk to him in the hallway.

"What do you think?"

"Well, I have bad news and good news as well. The bad news is I spoke to him and inspected the injury. It's indeed a level three tear. It's beginning to swell more now and probably by the end of the night it will start getting black. I asked Feimei to get an ice bag so he can ice it now. We should try to control the swelling as much as possible so the more he ice it the better. Twenty minutes every hour or two should do it. That should at least help with the swelling."

She nodded. "And the good?"

"It's possible to get him back running in about six weeks or so. It could even take less because of the condition he's in right now. It all depends on how he feels throughout his recovery. For now, the first couple of days are crucial. The less swollen his ankle gets, the faster he'll be able to start walking again."

"Is there any other way of speeding his recovery?" she asked him.

He nodded. "You could try to massage his ankle right before icing it to keep the liquid flowing out. But it all depends on how he feels about it. If it hurts too much I don't recommend it."

She nodded.

He was about to leave her but looked at her before doing so. "I know this Cup is really important for him Ms. Kinomoto, but what's most important is that he recovers the right way. If he doesn't feel good, we shouldn't push him."

She stared at the doctor. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Good. After all, I'm sure this isn't the end of his career."

She nodded and smile. "Thank you doctor."

"Anytime. I'll go speak to Xian now."

She nodded and watched him leave before entering Syaoran's temporary room.

"What did he say?" he quickly asked.

She smiled at him from the door. "That you'll be fine."

He narrowed his eyes at her, "I don't need to know that. I want to know the approximate time of recovery. How long do I need to be out for?"

She went into his bathroom and started searching the cabinet while saying, "That's only up to you. He said it depends on how you feel throughout your recovery."

He knew she was hiding something from him but didn't say anything.

She walked out of the bathroom and looked at him. "You need to eat something." She softly said to him.

He shook his head. "I'm not hungry right now. I don't even think I can stomach it even if I wanted to." He answered.

Feimei entered the room with an ice bag in her hand. "Here you go Sakura." She handed the ice bag to her and looked at Syaoran. "Is there anything else you need? Wei can make you a sandwich if you don't want to eat something heavy."

He shook his head again. "I'm fine, thanks."

Feimei nodded before leaving the room. Sakura placed the ice bag in his ankle. The cold feeling made him grimace a little but he got used to it after the first minute or so. She walked around his bed to sit right next to him. He hugged her and tried to hide his tears burying his face in her stomach. "I don't understand why this had to happen now. I keep thinking about it and I still can't see it."

She rubbed his hair. "It just did Syaoran. There's not much you can do about it now. Every day you spend looking back trying to analyze why it happened is a day you lose to recover. You can't afford losing days at this point."

He raised his face to look at her, "Can you stay with me tonight?"

She knew she shouldn't have but couldn't find how to leave. She nodded. "Ryu thinks that because of your physical condition at this point you could be up and running in six weeks give or take a few days. More give than take but it's definitely doable."

"Six weeks is too much." He took a deep breath. Six weeks meant missing the tournament if his team didn't reach semifinals.

"It all depends on how you feel." She softly said.

He nodded and closed his eyes.

After a couple of minutes, she felt him fall asleep never letting go of her. She kept rubbing his head. 'You'll get through this. I know you will.' she thought before reclining her head against the headboard and taking a nap as well.

~ o ~

Ring

"Li Corporations, how can I help you?" Suri quickly answered her phone.

"_Suri, it's me Jun. Is Sakura there? She's not answering her phone."_

She relaxed before answering, "Oh! Sorry Jun. She's out with Mr. Li. Do you want me to let her know you called?" she asked.

"_Please do. Tell her I landed in Japan and to please give me a call once she gets in."_

She could sense the anger behind his words but nonetheless answered with a simple, "Okay. Will do," before hanging the phone. She was a little jumpy every time her phone rang. After finding out a couple of hours ago that her boss used to date Mr. Womanizer she felt a little anxious. She regrettably closed her eyes not believing her luck. Her boss! Out of all women in China and Japan, her boss used to date Li who she had openly called a player in front of her not too long ago.

Oh what misfortune! Oh what bad luck! How could she face her boss now after calling him a player? Well, technically she didn't know they had gone out in the past but… When was this? She was certain she had never schedule dinner with Li's son ever since she started working. And I mean, how long did they go out for? Sakura had clearly said they were done as if they had a serious relationship in the past.

Ring

"Li Corporation offices, how can I help you?" she quickly answered again.

"_Hey beautiful! How are you?"_

She sighed and smile. "I have been better I assure you. Are you done with practice already?"

"_Yep. Did something happen?" _

"Well, I'm sure you have heard about Li." She waited a couple of seconds for him to say something in return but at the lack of words she said, "The phones have been ringing off the hook today. It's been a little crazy."

"_Well, I was actually wondering if you had lunch already?"_

"I haven't but I thought you couldn't get out of the hotel."

"_I can't. But you can come if you want and have lunch with me here. I mean, I haven't had lunch either and well… I know we're not seriously official yet but you know I had a really good time the other day." _

She smiled while listening to him. "Really? And what makes you think I can go too far to have lunch? My lunch break is just an hour, you know…"

"_Well, but weren't you just promoted? I'm sure managerial staff can take more than just one hour for lunch."_

She silently laughed and sarcastically asked, "So, are you expecting me to abuse my privileges just to go have lunch with you?"

"_I promise you I'll make this 'abuse', as you call it, well worth it."_

She chuckled. "In that case, I'll put it in my calendar and head out. But, it better be worth it Mr. Yue."

"_Scouts honor!"_

She laughed. "Please don't ever say that again." She heard him chuckled on the other side of the line.

"_I'll wait for you inside the restaurant then."_

She looked at her phone, after hearing him hang up, and smiled. Once again her day had brightened with just talking to him on the phone. She wrote pretty quickly on her calendar that she would be stepping out to have lunch. That way, when Sakura reached the office she could at least know where she was. Then quickly grabbed her purse and walked towards the elevator.

~ o ~

She had decided to stay the night at the Li's since they were all waiting for Choi to arrive and she wanted to be present when he did. Her clothes were already set in the usual room she stayed at when she had been living with them the first time she arrived in China. She brushed her hair after getting out of her shower and quickly put on a casual blue dress to have dinner with the family. After making sure she was presentable for dinner, she walked out and headed downstairs.

As she was walking through the hallway of Syaoran's temporary room she saw his door open and stop. Out came Syaoran walking in crutches. She was a little happy to see him getting out of bed but then feared a little because of what his doctor had said about the swelling. She approached him and smiled once she saw him notice her.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" she asked him.

"Can I answer that in another moment?" he asked.

She nodded at him and sighed before going a little serious again. "We need to talk."

He looked at her and asked, "About what?"

She looked around before answering, "Not in here."

He nodded and went back into his room. She closed the door and saw him sit in his bed.

"Is it bad?" he asked.

She smiled at him and shook his head. "No. But there are a few things that are happening and I think you should know."

He nodded and waited for her to continue.

"First, Choi is coming to dine with us tonight. He's bringing your new physical therapist which will be taking care of your rehab in this house from tonight on."

"I will start tonight?"

"He will start your first therapy after dinner. Now, when he comes in he will tell us what other things he needs for your entire therapy to take place in here. So know that we're probably going to have a dinner mixed with a little business as well. Well… in this case, your rehab instead of business."

He nodded.

"Second, I spoke to your coach. He doesn't want you to communicate with any of your teammates until you feel better."

He nodded again. "Understandable."

"And third," she took a deep breath before continuing with the last one, "I will stay with you tonight but only to make sure that you ice your leg every hour for twenty minutes. Your father has already rented a movable fridge and has put in it enough ice bags perhaps for your entire rehab. So I will set a timer for each hour to make sure you ice your ankle right on time."

He stared at her before carefully asking, "So, you'll be waking me up each hour for an entire night?"

"Yes," was her simple answer. "Now, your father has already approved of getting anything that's needed in order to get you back up and running in no time."

He truly wanted to complain about this whole waking up each hour of the night to ice his ankle but he didn't. Sakura staying the night with him made it worth it. "Anything else?"

She shook her head. "Are you sure you want to come for dinner? I can have Wei bring yours here."

He shook his head and smirked. "I wouldn't miss having dinner with you on a dress if it's possible."

She felt her face almost getting red. She looked down at her dress before sarcastically sighing and shaking her head. "Really? You haven't changed a bit."

He smiled at her. "I can assure you I have."

Still shaking her head she got up from his bed. "Come on Romeo, I'm hungry." She said while getting up from his bed and opening the door for him.

He chuckled and got up as well. Taking his crutches from the side, where he had placed them before, he walked towards the door with them but stopped when he reached her side. "It really does look good on you."

"Shut up Syaoran and walk towards the dining room."

He chuckled but did as he was told.

~ o ~

Morning came quickly the next day. Her planned schedule had taken a toll on her as it was now around 8:00 in the morning and she was on her third cup of coffee and wondering how many more she would have to drink to at least make it till noon on her office. She woke up every hour during the night to make sure Syaoran would ice his ankle, just like she said she would, and it had been almost a nightmare to wake up this morning to go handle a couple of things in the office. It truly had been a tiring night.

She took her TV remote control and set the news on.

"_The White and Black charity ball was held here in Japan last night Yuri and let me tell you it was an amazing success. More than 10 million dollars were raised to help the World Foundation of Abandoned Children. A lot of celebrities assisted the event. From movie stars like Tsukiro Mashite to political figures like Senator Eli and his son who has also expressed an interest in following his father's footsteps into a political career early this year."_

Sakura watched the news from her office with her usual morning cup filled with hot coffee on hand. She had told Jun she would be there with him assisting this event a couple of days ago but at the last minute decided not to go. The moment she heard of Syaoran's injury she knew she wouldn't be able to go.

As she kept watching the TV she saw clips of the event which were presented on the news as part of the coverage they had been able to provide from the activity. Senator Eli's table was one of the clips presented. In their table, a young calmed and collected woman sat next to the senator's son applauding after hearing some announcements. Sakura watched as Jun laughed and applauded as well while whispering something to the lady which made her laugh in a provocative way. Her office door suddenly opened as she quickly turned the TV off.

"How's my brother?" Xiefa asked.

"Not even good morning… I see." Sakura said.

Xiefa heard her friend and shrugged.

"As tired and hurt as a normal injured player would be after finding out they're not going to be able to play for two months."

Xiefa looked at her friend and narrowed her eyes. She was definitely pissed off about something but decided not to indulge much in her attitude. "Father thinks you should have Suri travel to Japan to bring Yuki here."

She nodded. "I'll speak with her."

Xiefa kept staring at her trying to find something that would give away the reason for her sudden change in attitude but not finding anything she just said, "You did the right thing."

"You don't get to say what the right thing is Xiefa."

Xiefa walked up to her desk and put an envelope in front of her. Curiously, Sakura looked at her from her seat.

"It's the person you asked me to investigate." Xiefa said while slowly showing on her face a smirk like smile, one Sakura learned with time the meaning of. It clearly screamed that whatever was inside that folder she was certain she would not like.

"Oh… you're going to love this one." She sarcastically sang her last words before walking out of her office.

Sakura looked down at her desk and took the envelope in her hands. She opened it knowing there was absolutely no point in delaying the information. As she took the documents out, she quickly scanned the documents and sighed at the signature. The information was something she had long suspected but never acted upon it.

She sighed and looked back up to her closed door. The moment she had decided to stay instead of leaving with Jun she had left everything in his hands. His words that night had been true all along. Even after knowing how he felt about her past she still did whatever she wanted to. She had been careless, she had been selfish, and now she ended what little there was left of their relationship.

She rang Suri to her intercom. "Suri, please come into my office."

Seconds later Suri walked in with her iPad on hand. "Yes?"

"I need you to help Yuki getting here before this weekend. He'll probably need some help bringing part of his equipment over here. I'll ask Xian for the company jet so you may be able to get there and back as quickly as possible."

Suri stared at her. "Are you sure Mr. Li is okay with me using the company jet for this?"

"It's fine. I'm sure he won't say no to this."

Suri nodded. She was about to walk out but decided to get this off her chest as quickly as possible. "I'm sorry for what I said about Li months ago."

"What did you say?" Sakura asked while searching for her ringing cell phone on her purse.

"You know… the whole Li been a player…"

Sakura found her phone and looked back at her. "It's okay. You probably were right. I need to take this." She quickly answered her phone.

Suri nodded and left.

"Mr. Ryu! How are you?"

"_Good. I have a missed call from you on my phone. Is everything ok?"_

"Yes. I just wanted to consult something with you. The hospital doctor wanted to give Syaoran some painkillers but I'm sure many of those painkillers probably have ingredients that are not allowed by the FIFA. Do you think it's better if he doesn't take anything at all? I mean, I'm not sure if taking painkillers will actually help him with his recovery. And I definitely do not trust those doctors either. I rather have the opinion of a doctor who is more close to the family."

"_I see. Well, the painkillers are good for the first couple of days. That's when he will experience the more pain. So, if he needs the painkillers then I would advise him to take them for at least three to four days. After that, I advise him to start trying to take his rehab without the need for medicine. Also, like I said before, it truly depends on how he feels but if he can do the recovery without the painkillers then is better."_

"If he were to need the painkillers, could you write him the prescription?"

"_I can."_

"Okay. Also, can you schedule a weekly visit for him? I want to have weekly reports on how his ankle is doing. That way if we need to make any changes in some areas we will be able to make the necessary adjustments as soon as possible."

"_Will do."_

"Thanks." She hung up the phone to immediately receive another call. "Coach, how are you?"

~ o~

He was looking sadly out the window. She admired how he looked when the sunlight brightened his serene but sad face. Yes, he was that good looking even when he was broken. She knocked on the frame of the door. He looked at the door and was surprised to see her there. "I thought you were not coming today."

She smiled. "What? And let you mope all day...? Never in your life." He sadly laughed at her comment but at least it was a laugh. "How are you feeling today?"

"I tried to stand up but couldn't." he tried to sound optimistic but she knew he was pissed because of it.

She chuckled. "Well, it's only the second day Syaoran." She put her purse down on his night table and took out a lotion she had bought on the way here.

"What's that?" he curiously asked.

"It's a lotion. What does it look like?" she sarcastically replied while opening the small cap.

"I know it's a lotion but what for?"

She smiled as she softly started to take his blanket out of his ankle's way. "I'm giving you a massage today."

He doubtfully stared at her. "I'm not sure that's a good idea Sakura..."

"Oh, don't be a baby about it." she said. She started to put the lotion on and softly rubbing it against his ankle. At first she felt him tense, probably because he was scared she could hurt it even more, but then he relaxed.

"You left a bit early today." Syaoran said.

She nodded. "I work for a living… in case you didn't notice."

He chuckled. "Ah!" he grimaced after feeling her hands starting to push deeper into his ankle.

She stopped what she was doing and looked at him. "Does it hurt too bad?"

"It hurts." He simply said.

She stared at him. "The doctor said massages would help to keep the swelling down but I shouldn't do them if they hurt you too much."

He nodded. "I can hold."

She nodded but this time she started rubbing the lotion in a circular motion a little softer than when she first did it. She felt him tense at the beginning but then he relaxed a little more after the first couple of minutes.

"After this, you'll ice it again." She said.

"Isn't this Choi's job?"

"What?" she curiously asked.

"What you're doing."

"If you don't like it, I can quickly get Choi here and he can handle everything from here on. Including the massage…" she added.

"No! I'm not complaining or anything. I was just asking." He quickly said.

She sighed but kept massaging his ankle. According to the instructions from the doctor, massaging his ankle fifteen minutes before icing it should help his recovery greatly. She was afraid of asking her next question but she needed to know. "What were you thinking?"

He curiously looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"When this happened… I heard from your coach how you got injured and he's asking himself how you couldn't see your teammate when this happened."

"You… working for my father even knowing how I felt about them."

"Me? Why should you? I already told you my decision had nothing to do with you." She softly continued her massage not believing what she had just heard.

"And now? Do you still feel the same?"

She looked at him.

"I love my parents Sakura, but I can't have them controlling my life. I couldn't then, and I still can't now. And you knew this before making that decision. So, even if you made it for your own benefit, like you say you did, you knew it would affect me in some way."

She sighed, "And what did you expect me to do? To pass up the opportunity because someday you would come back into my life and reclaim it? You left me!"

"Did I? I broke up with you, but I wasn't the one that left."

She sighed before cleaning his feet with a towel. She slowly put his leg back up on the holder and placed the blanket on top of it. "There, it's done. I'll tell Wei to bring you the ice bag."

He sadly sighed. Fighting with Sakura was something he didn't want to do. "Are you coming back?"

She hesitated at first but nodded. "Tonight. I want to meet up with your trainer and make sure everything is approved by Ryu before he starts your training in a couple of days."

He nodded a little more relaxed now after finding out that she would be coming back.

"If you need anything, let Wei know." she said.

He nodded and watched her leave. Looking at the door, he remembered her words on the hospital.

"_I'm still with Jun."_

Warning he knew she had specifically said to keep him at bay. He hated the fact that she still couldn't talk about what happened between them but he needed to wait for her. 'At least she stayed.' He thought before sighing and closing his eyes.

~ o ~

After sleeping a couple of hours in her room, Sakura woke up, took a shower, and went downstairs to join the family for dinner. She had decided to stay over at the Li's until Syaoran was good enough to at least start walking. She walked towards the table were the family was already seated and waiting to start dinner. Looking around the dining room she noticed Syaoran wasn't on the table and turned towards Wei to ask, "Is Syaoran eating at his room?"

Wei shook his head and answered her. "The young master said he wasn't hungry."

She nodded before walking over to her sit. As soon as she sat, they started serving themselves the food. Xian was the first to greet the new trainer as he presented the rest of the family to him. Choi started the conversation mentioning the many players Tai had helped restore to complete health from injuries. It was almost as hearing an entire resume being read out loud in front of her. Yelan had been fascinated by the news. She kept talking and asking him questions about the ideas he may have to help with Syaoran's injury.

While the conversation appealed to Yelan, the same could not be said about Xian. He simply kept slowly eating while nodding from time to time but Sakura knew better. She smiled internally knowing he was far bored of it probably since the beginning of this whole dinner. But then again, he wanted his son back playing as well and for that he needed to know that he was in good hands. As for her, Sakura knew not to say much. She was attentive of the entire conversation while eating as quickly as possible in an unnoticeable way. The fact that Syaoran was skipping dinner once more worried her. She could understand him not wanting to eat last night but today was another day.

After a couple of minutes she was done and asked Wei to make a small bag with Syaoran's dinner. She walked out of the dining room and went towards Syaoran's room to checkup on him. Not knowing if he was awake, she slowly opened the door and sneaked her head a little to check if he was sleeping but what she found was completely the opposite of what she had thought. She found him out of his bed doing pushups in the side of it. She narrowed her eyes, walked towards him and kicked him not too hard but not too softly on the stomach.

"Ah!" He shrunk on the floor and grabbed his stomach where she had hit him.

"Aren't you supposed to be resting?" she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Do you have to hit me like this? I'm sure there are better ways of greeting someone who's injured."

She smirked. "Someone who is injured should be in his bed resting if you ask me."

He looked at her and narrowed her eyes.

"Be careful. I brought you dinner. You don't want to go biting the hand that feeds you." she walked towards his night table at the other side of the bed and placed a bag.

"Are you having dinner with me?"

She shook her head, "I already ate. But," she quickly added, "I do bring two choices of movies we can watch so you don't get bored and start doing push-ups you're not allowed to do again." She started searching inside her bag until she got out the first movie and presented it to him. "Choice number one is watching the new Thor movie, which I would certainly not object to watch."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Thor?"

"Well, most guys like Marvel movies." She said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Out of all Marvel movies you decided on Thor?"

She rolled her eyes and ignored his question. "Or, we could watch the Bourne Trilogy just one movie per night. It's a guys' movie too."

He chuckled. "Isn't there anything with sports in it?"

She sighed. "As much as I know you want to watch sports it is at the bottom of allowed shows to watch in my list right now. So two choices, which one will it be?"

He starred at her and smirked. "I don't think I can stand that Thor guy. Doesn't he look feminine to you?"

"What? Feminine?" she asked.

"Bourne." he quickly said smiling at her.

She scoffed, shook her head, and rolled her eyes at him. "Fine." She opened the blu-ray case and put it on the component while turning his TV on. She walked around his bed and sat next to him. "You know, I actually thought you wanted to watch a Marvel movie instead of a action thriller movie."

He chuckled as he started looking inside the bag she had brought him. "What? And have you drooling all over my bed, I don't think so."

She scoffed at him again and chuckled. "Whatever."

"Mmm dumplings!"

She smirked. "I thought you'd like some."

"Veggie, my favorite."

She chuckled at his comment but didn't say anything else. She had to admit she felt a little awkward while sitting at his side. Usually when they used to watch movies in the past she would snuggle right next to him. Her arm would end up hugging him and she would feel his hand rubbing her back softly. He would occasionally kiss her temple if it was a romantic movie, or play with her feet when he thought the movie was too boring to watch to catch her attention.

But this time it was different. It had been a thought that had been with her since she went out to pick movies after work but she thought it would be gone by the time they would start watching them. She had decided to get them for him so he could take his mind off the tournament at least for a little bit but now a tensing feeling took over her body as she thought about it again.

"Does he mind if you do this?" he said halfway down his dumpling.

She knew perfectly well who he was referring to. "He does." She sighed and looked at him smiling as if nothing was wrong with her and said, "Let's just watch the movie."

He nodded and finished his food. The movie started playing in the screen but he turned towards her again. "You know, I don't mind if you want to snuggle."

She quickly looked at him, "Syaoran-"

He stared at her back and quickly said, "I mean it."

She sighed and looked back at the movie. "Let's just watch the movie."

He smirked but nonetheless turned to watch the movie as well.

**Authors Note:** Oh wow! It truly feels like it took me forever to finish this chapter. It's been a really stressful month full of long hours of hard work. New jobs always make you feel like that. So sorry for the long wait on this one. I'll try to update sooner for the next one. Thank you so much for all your reviews. Hope you like this one and let me know what you guys think.


	11. Chapter 11 - Challenging the Player

"_**There comes a point in your life when you realize who matters, who never did, who won't anymore, and who always will. And in the end you learn who is fake, who is true and who would risk it all for you." - Brigitte**_

**Chapter 11**

"**Challenging the Player"**

Morning came like a blink of an eye. Rays of sun invaded her face early in the morning as she turned towards the other side to keep them from bothering her. As she tried to fight her sleep she noticed something was off. Actually… several things were off. The first one, no alarm was pestering her indicating that she had to wake up to go to work. The second thing she realized was that her room was on the other side of the house. Sun rays never woke her up in the mornings. They hadn't done so before for seven years and she was certain today couldn't be the first day they would, which took her to carefully and slowly open her eyes. The sight of brown hair confirmed her third assumption… she had fallen asleep in Syaoran's room last night.

Her heartbeat rise as she stared at his calm face. He was silently sleeping right next to her. She noticed his skin had darkened within the years. No doubt playing soccer outside had something to do with that. A sudden urge to trace her fingers through his lips came to her but she dismissed the thought as soon as it came to her head.

"_You know, I wouldn't mind if you want to cuddle."_

His words, she truly wanted to believe he had changed. Not like he wasn't caring when they were together, but his number one passion had always been soccer. In the past, she had accepted been second place in his life, but she knew she couldn't do that anymore. Someone had already shown her the meaning of being first in someone else's life. And even if she did feel like cuddling last night, she knew it wasn't right for so many reasons.

At least she was glad that her plan had worked last night. Well… at least for the first thirty minutes of the movie it did. After that, she noticed he wasn't even paying attention to it. His mind was someplace else, no doubt thinking about the tournament again. She had said a comment about the movie which made him comeback to watch it, but she knew better.

She sighed while slowly getting up without making too much noise and walking out of his room. Even though she was following Xian's orders, work awaited her in her office as usual and more so now that Suri was leaving early in the morning for Japan.

~ o ~

The sun illuminated Li Enterprises hallways early morning. She walked quickly through the hallways looking for her specific target. Seeing his dark brown doors at the end of the corridor made her increased her determined steps. She walked inside his office and closed the doors after getting in.

"Is it true?" she demanded.

Xian calmly turned his sight from the window to see his beautiful but furious wife staring at him. "Is what true?"

She stared at him back searching his eyes. Many people could never read him but the same couldn't be said about her. "Are you funding his project to stay here?"

He sighed. "Ah! That!" Although she was his wife, she could be a little intimidating when she felt betrayed by someone. "He already signed his professional contract. Why would he stay?"

"Xian!" she took a deep breath before continuing. "Do you really think this contract is enough to hold him back? I understand that you want Sakura to take over his recuperation. I can even go along with that. But agreeing on funding his project gives him a choice for staying. We both know that's not what he truly wants."

He took a deep breath before going over to his bar and serving himself a cup of coffee. Dealing with his wife so early in the morning without having coffee was a definite NO, especially if she was in one of her famous moods. "Love, he won't stay."

"He won't stay because the door is still close but if you open it for him I'm sure he won't hesitate in going through it. You promised me! You promised me that if I found you someone worthy of his place in the company you would leave him be."

He took a sip from his coffee before turning towards her again. "He's not the only one with decisions to make in this case."

She questioned his words with a curious look that made her ask him, "So you're putting your trust in Sakura?"

"You are my right hand love, but she is my left one. Even you know that."

"Then, you're prepared to let her go?" she asked.

He smiled before taking another sip of his coffee. "I'm prepared to see her handling the situation."

She sighed and shook her head. "Sometimes not even I get you."

He chuckled. "That's okay. I get you enough to know that's good enough for the both of us."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't mock me Xian."

"I wouldn't dare love."

His calm response to this whole situation unnerved her. She knew her husband loved playing mind games but this was far off of what she had been expecting. "Will you fund his entire project?"

He sighed. "I won't be able to fund even a penny of his project. Knowing our son, he won't allow that to happen."

She curiously looked at him again. "So what are you planning on doing?"

"Feimei has someone in mind willing to work with us on that."

She nodded. "Someone reliable?"

"I also trust my daughter Yelan, even if she's still working with someone else."

Yelan sighed. "She took all these bad habits from her brother, you know. Where did we go wrong with these two?"

He chuckled as he put his cup down and walked over to her. He sweetly embraced her in a hug before whispering in her ear, "I'm really happy to see my son coming back to China again. For years I've been waiting for him to finally comeback home Yelan."

She smiled in his embrace. "I know, but he still can't stay."

Xian smiled still hugging his feisty wife. He knew she had always been determined to having their son playing and, even though he didn't agree with her on this, he would still let her do whatever she wanted.

~ o ~

She was watching the TV as the news reporter talked about how Jun could be just as good as his father as a senator. He would be following his steps in a couple of months as he had decided to do so not too long ago. The same recap from the news the day before was playing in front of her. She watched as they presented once again clips from the charity event of the week. At his side, one of his supposed colleagues was clapping when he was mentioned by the ceremony anchorman. A woman in her mid twenties laughed after he whispered something in her ear while clapping as well. Sakura knew very well who she was.

Xiefa entered her office without knocking. "Oh, good! You're watching this. Do you need to know who the woman is?"

"I'm surprised at your question." Sakura calmly said without taking her eyes off the TV.

Xiefa raised a brow and asked, "Since when do you know?"

"That's not important." Sakura stood from her chair and went to the corner to pick up some papers she would be taking home.

Her friend watched her as she calmly prepared to go home. "Not important? And you stayed with him?"

Sakura simply nodded. She found the file she was looking for in her corner table and looked at Xiefa. "I'm going to lunch with Jun. After that, I'm going by your house to check on your brother and then coming back here."

Xiefa frowned. "You're going to lunch with Jun? Why?"

Sakura sighed, "Not that it is any of your business but technically he's still my boyfriend."

Xiefa shook her head. "Sometimes I don't understand you. How can you let a man walk all over you like that?"

Sakura stopped putting everything together and narrowed her eyes at Xiefa. "Careful Xiefa. Don't insult me."

Throwing her hands in the air Xiefa tried to get a little bit more out of her friend. "Well, I'm sorry but you've known he's been cheating on you. How can I not think that?"

Sakura ignored her as she walked back to her desk and disconnected her phone from the battery cable. "Also, your father approved of giving Suri her first project."

"And this?" Xiefa asked at the sudden change in conversation.

"I think she's ready to take her own project already."

Xiefa scoffed. Not only was she in shock but the calmness in which Sakura was handling everything made her worry. "Are you back with my brother?"

This time it was Sakura who scoffed and shook her head not believing how Xiefa could mix Suri getting her own project with her relationship with Syaoran. "How do you link these?" Sakura sighed, "I have taught her everything she needs to know when it comes to developing events and I truly believe that she's ready to handle her own project."

Xiefa raised a brow and crossed her hands on her chest. "Will you be supervising her from the office?"

"Yes! I'm just stepping back and letting her make the decisions." Sakura replied as if it was the most obvious answer in the world.

Xiefa wasn't entirely satisfied with her answer but nodded. "Are you taking in a new intern then?"

Sakura stopped what she was doing and stared at her. Since when had Xiefa cared so much about her decisions? Usually anything related to Suri in the company had never been something that concerned her. From the very beginning, her decisions were her decisions unless Xian had anything to say about it. Then, why was Xiefa asking so many questions?

And then suddenly it clicked. Xiefa was afraid Sakura would leave the company. For some reason, Xiefa had always believed that Sakura would eventually end up getting back together with Syaoran and leaving had always been an option in her head knowing that her brother had always wanted to play professionally abroad. "Xiefa, whether I get back with your brother or not I'm not leaving the company. That's something Syaoran and I would definitely have to talk about if we ever get back together but leaving is not one of my options."

Xiefa nodded but was still not satisfied. Her brother was a Li after all. And worse, one that had inherited his mother's convincing trait. She knew the moment that decision needed to be taken, her brother always had the advantage. Even if Sakura was certain now and couldn't see it, she always had a soft spot when it came to his feelings.

"Now, I need to leave. I'm late already for lunch. Call me if anything happens." Sakura took her purse and walked out of her office.

Jun had called her this morning saying he was back in China and wanted to see her. Having no objections, she simply agreed to meeting for lunch on a restaurant of his choosing. After everything that had happened between them there were things still left unsaid... Unspoken words that needed to be finally out in the open.

What she had said to Xiefa was right. She had known about the other woman for quite some time now. When she finally saw her the other day on TV right next to him, she was finally able to get assurance on her suspicion. She reached the restaurant and found him there already sitting down in a table for two waiting for her. She took her sunglasses off, walked towards him, and sat in the seat in front of him.

He smiled, "you're finally here."

"I am." Was all she said. There was no smile, no sarcasm, not even a casual hello. She took the menu that was placed in front of her and noticed a small black box under it. She calmly looked back at him ignoring the small box and asked, "A ring?"

He smiled, "When I went to Japan, I stopped by your house and met your father. He sends his greetings along with his blessings. Open it!"

She blinked and stared down at the small black box again. Taking a deep breath, she looked back up at him. Anyone who truly knew her would have already run from the place by now, but no. He was in front of her smiling as if nothing had happened in the past couple of days. Luck saved him as the server arrived to take their orders.

"Can I offer you something to drink?"

Jun smiled and politely said, "I'll have a coke."

The server wrote down his order and then turned towards Sakura. "Alright! And for you miss?"

She took another deep breath and staring at Jun she answered, "I'll have a cup of your best red wine… I am toasting today." She confidently smiled at him.

"Oh! In that case would you want Champagne better?"

"No, wine will do." She said not getting her eyes off Jun. When the server retired she continued her conversation, "Do you know why I think a man gives a woman a ring, Jun? It's because he loves her like no other woman in this world and he is certain that she loves him back the same way. Yet here you are giving me a ring because you are not certain of how I feel about you."

He nervously smiled at her, "That's not true love. We spoke of how we wanted to start a family and everything. Marrying is just a step before we do and I think it's about time we took that step. We spoke about it a couple of weekends back, remember?"

She took the menu and started to see through the choices for lunch, "I heard the polls aren't going so well for you…" she stopped watching the menu and looked up at him. "Or do you want to start with your model friend?"

Sakura could sense the nervousness irradiating from him. She watched as he quickly looked down to look at the menu and tried to avoid her eyes. 'Jackpot!'

"She's just a friend Sakura."

She confidently smiled. "Off course, that is what I meant."

He quickly put the menu down and sighed. "Look, I forgive you. I know you really like helping others and everything-"

She raised an eyebrow and chuckled interrupting him from finishing his sentence, "Jun… If you even think of me this stupid you shouldn't even be running as a political figure."

The server came over to their table and served them their drinks. "Are you ready to order?"

"I'm sure he'll need more time." She nicely answered the server.

"Very well, I'll give you a few more minutes." He said before leaving them alone again.

"Sakura, love, this isn't what you think." He calmly said.

She smirked, "No Jun, darling… this is exactly what I think it is." She looked outside the restaurant through the crystal windows and saw exactly what she had been expecting all along. Reporters! She drank from her cup of wine before starting. "The polls aren't doing well for you even after receiving your father's backup. Your father must be furious at you for not knowing how to handle the situation. After all, going in public with another woman in your arms, who is not the woman you've been dating for two years, was a stupid idea. Makes you look unstable for the public, doesn't it? Perhaps the people could get the idea that you don't really know what you want or worse… they can't identify themselves with the image you're portraying of yourself."

He stared at her. "You know I love you Sakura. None of those things are the reason why I'm officially proposing to you today."

She softly smiled. It wasn't a sweet smile… it was more of a knowing smile. Unlike him, she was always sure of her decisions. "Love…?" she took another sip of her wine. "Love doesn't require for you to contract a spy to follow me around while you're not at my side."

He stared at her and gulped slowly.

She could see the nervousness in his eyes once again but she needed to do this. It hurt her because he had been someone who had been there for her when she had needed him the most, but he had changed. Ever since Syaoran appeared he had felt threatened and that made him change.

"Since when have you know?" he asked.

"I guess you could say coming a day earlier does have its disadvantages when you're dating someone like me. Or you thought I would never find out?"

"I can explain." He quickly said.

She shook her head. "There's no need." She took another deep breath and took her wine glass up. "So, I guess I'll be toasting to this… To you and the end of this relationship. We had some good moments together, but I don't think this is working anymore for either of us." She drank the rest of her wine. She softly put the glass down on the table and got up.

"Will you be going back to him… someone that sees you as a thing? I don't think that's a wise decision either don't you think..."

She looked down at him, "Whatever I do, is my business now." She looked up and walked confidently towards the door. Each step she took made her feel lighter.

~ o ~ 

"Aw come on coach. I think we should all see him as a team. Wouldn't this make us bond better?"

"Hirragizawa stop your insistence. I already said no and that's my final answer."

"But, we all want to go. He is our teammate and he needs us right now."

His coach shook his head and sighed. "I said no. We need to concentrate on the tournament ahead. Just because Li got injured doesn't mean we can stop working towards it."

"Who is saying anything about stopping our training for the tournament? We just want to see him as a team. We've tried calling him but he's not answering his phone. Obviously, he needs us. Are you telling us to let him down?"

His coach stopped walking towards his room and looked back at Eriol. "I'm not saying to let him down. I'm saying we need to concentrate. The moment he is ready to see us then I'm sure we'll hear from him."

Eriol curiously looked at him, "You mean to tell me he's not answering your calls either?"

"Hirragizawa, drop this. You, as one of the older players in this team need to help the rest of your teammates feel comfortable without Li on the field. It is not certain when he will be back but he being out doesn't mean we have lost this Cup. For now, you are the co-captain. Do your job. When Li wants to be seen, I will let the team know."

With that said, he watched his coach leave towards his room. He turned around and started walking towards his room displeased with his coach decision. Not to receive news about his cousin's recuperation was eating him alive. It was definitely having a toll on the team as well. They had all been worried about the situation.

He opened the door to his room and shut it behind. His phone started ringing. Thinking it could be his cousin he quickly got it out of his pocket and looked at the ID Caller.

"_Hey love!" The lovely voice of his fiancé sounded on the phone._

"Hi babe!" he answered a little frustrated after the talk with his coach.

"_How are you feeling?"_

He sighed. "I don't know. I'm sort of angry and pissed off today. Practice feels all off. The guys are not even motivated to keep working as hard as before. It's as if this whole situation has taken their minds off the field completely. We try to make passes between each other and some of them are not even reaching the target. It's a mess babe. It's like they're… we're all lost. We can't seem to find each other on the field. Mark is trying hard but it just feels all wrong. And to make it worst, I just spoke to coach like you suggested but he doesn't want us to get out of the hotel. I've tried calling Xiefa and she's not answering. I'm tired of leaving messages to Sakura in her office. No one wants to give us information about Syaoran and is driving me mad. I mean, what's the whole deal?"

"_That good, huh…" she chuckled._

"I'm sorry babe. I know I'm venting. How was your fashion show?" He ran his hands through his head as he tried to calm down.

"_Well, it was good which brings me to the better news. I talked to Gustave, the French fashion designer that wants me to take part of his show, and he is changing his fashion show to November, which means I am boarding a plane probably tomorrow to Hong Kong."_

Immediately his day brightened, "Really? That's great babe! That's the best news I've received today."

_She chuckled._

"Do you want me to talk to Xiefa so that she can get you a room in our hotel?"

"_There's no need. The way you were speaking of her earlier makes me think I am better off calling myself. I'm sure Sakura will not ignore my call."_

"Oh how I love you! Let me know how he's doing please."

_She chuckled on the other side. "I'll call you back in a couple of minutes."_

~ o ~

He had been cheating on her. Part of her wanted to make him feel guilty about that, the other part of her knew this had always been her fault. He had tried to say she was only a friend, but she knew better. His trips had suddenly become more frequent. His attitude towards her started changing to the point where he tried to be more controlling of her life. They had started fighting most of the time about the same thing… Syaoran. And, to her defense, she had truly believed that she could be friends with Syaoran at the beginning, only to have that thought shattered after that weekend spent in the cabin.

But what really hit her as she drove towards Li's house was that she thought this breakup would actually make her feel sad and it didn't. Jun and her had some pretty good moments throughout those two years they'd been together. They had even talked about marriage and yet… this breakup had been entirely different from the one she had with Syaoran. Instead of sadness, she felt guilt. He had been right all along for not trusting her and at the same time she had pushed him to find comfort in the hands of another.

And now, she had finally broken up with him. Everyone around her had been right as she had tried to fight the inevitable. And for what? An uncertain future?

As she reached the house, she parked her car and walked towards the house. As usual, Wei opened the door for her and she walked inside.

"I heard you got engaged. Your picture was all over the news."

She stopped after hearing those words and looked to her left where the voice had welcomed her with a sour greeting. She found the same mysterious brown eyes he portrayed whenever he was doing business with someone staring at her. "Did your son see it too?"

Xian nodded. "I never knew it was that serious."

"You've never once asked me anything about my personal life. Why would you start now?"

His face started to show the beginnings of a knowing smile as he took a sip of his whiskey. Sakura had been the only employee he allowed to speak to him with such braveness. Her bluntness was one of her greatest attributes when dealing with business deals and the reason he accepted her at his side. A thoughtful face adorned his face as he smiled. "I remember when I asked Yelan to marry me. Her eyes shined like I'd never seen them before. I can still look at her eyes and remember her excitement that day as she said yes to my proposal. A lot different from your eyes right now, I can assure you that much."

She sighed and walked past him towards his office. It was one of the things Yelan agreed with him when building their house, for him to have a small office in it so he could also spend time in the house with his son and daughters. Although, if you asked Sakura, she was pretty sure it was for Yelan to have her way whenever she wanted to have a family dinner or activity in the house. She reached the other side of the room where he kept his whiskey, took a cup, and poured herself some of it as she looked outside his window thoughtfully. "Your son can't give me what I want Xian."

"You'd be amazed at how many things I have done for Yelan and would probably still do for her."

She chuckled and drank her cup. She felt the liquid warm up her throat before replying, "Your son loves the field just like he should love a woman."

He chuckled, "If you ask me... I think he's beginning to realize something he hadn't before. He has changed since he landed. No need to wonder why. Give him a little more time and you'll see for yourself."

She turned around. "I'm going to see how he's doing today."

He knowingly smiled at her, "Go ahead."

She passed by him and turned around the corner. It didn't take long to reach his room yet she waited outside to organize her thoughts before letting herself in. She looked at him and found him wide awake and staring at her. She could see he was trying to hold something to himself, no doubt the news of her engagement, but he stayed silently watching her instead.

She smiled at him, "How are you feeling?"

"Worst." He lowly said.

She walked towards his bathroom and picked the lotion again. "The doctor said the first couple of days were going to be the worst." She sat right next to his ankle. After opening the bottle of lotion, she poured a small amount on her hand and applied it to his ankle. She started massaging his ankle especially the part that was most swollen up like she had done the day before.

Unable to hold on for much longer he finally asked, "What do you see in that jerk?" She push a little deeper on her massage which caused him to flinch. "Aaah!"

"Did that hurt?" She sweetly asked him.

"Yes!" Hi voice indicating this was the most obvious answer.

"Good!" She started massaging his ankle normal again before saying, "Stop worrying about my personal life and worry more for your rehab."

"I can't help it! No, no, no!" He quickly took his leg out of her reach and looked at her. "It really hurts Sakura!"

She looked at him. "Then focus on your rehab. If you can't help it, as you say, then I will leave."

His strong gaze surprised her but she kept her stance. He put his ankle back to her legs so that she could keep doing the massage.

"I thought he was in Japan..." he said as an afterthought.

"He was. Now, he came back."

"My hero..." She heard him say sarcastically.

She smiled but didn't say anything more on the subject. She was happy about her decision but it wasn't time to let him know about it yet. "Your doctor said this would help."

"You should leave him."

"Drop it." She warned him.

"You may like to fool yourself with that excuse Sakura, but you can't fool me. You don't love him. That's reason enough to break up with him."

She looked at him and raised her brow, "And what? Be with you again?"

"At least you wouldn't be lying to yourself or to him."

She massaged his ankle a little harder once again dipping her fingers deeper on one of his most sensitive spots, "aaahh!"

She sweetly smiled at him, "There, done! You need to put your leg up and 20 minutes with the ice pack. You know the routine. Choi will be coming by tomorrow morning with your trainer. He wants you to start doing some training in the pool."

He sighed frustrated at how she was taking things. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

She went to his bathroom and grabbed a small towel to clean her hands from the lotion. She looked at him and responded with, "I know." She debated within herself whether she should tell him or not. It wasn't that she didn't want him to know on the contrary she was dying to tell him. But in the end she knew it wasn't time yet. "You need to concentrate in your rehab Xiaolang. Stop thinking about me and Jun and just focus on your rehab."

He closed his eyes. "It's not like I can do much about it right now."

To see him this way hurt her, but she had to be strong. For him, she had to be. "I'll tell Wei to bring you the ice pack." She was about to walk out when she heard his question.

"Are we watching the second Bourne movie tonight?"

She stopped and looked back at him, "Do you want to? I think you should rest and be ready to start your training tomorrow morning."

He kept looking at her. "I don't mind watching the movie. I can even fall asleep as I watch it."

She chuckled and sarcastically responded to his comment, "Well that's something. Thanks for letting me know. That wasn't the idea I had in mind when I thought of bringing you a movie to watch."

He chuckled. "That's not what I meant."

She chuckled and shook her head. "Right… I'll rent the second one and we can watch it on one condition."

He curiously looked at her as he waited for her to finish that sentence.

"No thinking about soccer."

He stared at her and smiled as he nodded his answer. "Fine."

He watched as she stepped out of his room and sighed. Nobody knew him better than her. Even after seven years he could still say that statement still remained true. She had stayed last night with him. He was well aware of it. It had felt as if she was slowly falling right back into his arms and yet this afternoon threw last night straight to the trash can.

He remembered after eating lunch with his parents, he had heard on the news about her so awaited engagement to Senator Eli's son. He retired from the living room as soon as he heard of it and went straight to his room where he thought of the news incessantly. It just didn't make sense at all. He couldn't understand why she would stay with that idiot.

~ o ~

She was organizing her clothes on her bag. As soon as Gustave had officially called back his fashion show she had started making the arrangements to go back to China. She was excited after thinking of seeing her fiancé a lot earlier than expected. She had told Meiling about it a couple of minutes ago but her friend had not had the same luck. So far Meiling would still be reaching China the same day they guys had their FIFA opening ceremony.

Packing up her clothes she noticed she truly needed to do some cleaning when it came to her clothes. Two of her bags were already full and the third one was on its way of competing with the others on which one was the heaviest. She went back to her drawer, picked up a stack of clothing, and put it on her bag. Tiredly, she sighed and sat herself on the hotel bed taking a quick rest from packing.

She took her phone out and dialed Sakura's phone number.

"_Hello"_

"Hey, Sakura! How are you?"

"_Hey, I'm good. Here picking up some movies. How about you?"_

Tomoyo smiled. "I'm actually very excited. I'll be heading home earlier than expected. Earlier, as in tomorrow in the afternoon."

"_Really? How come?"_

"Gustave, the French designer I had to work for in two weeks, moved his walk thru so I'll be arriving earlier."

"_That's nice."_

"I wanted to see if you could help me with the changes in the hotel. I'm not sure if they have enough open rooms right now."

"_Sure. No problem. I'll call the hotel and check. If not, then there are other hotels close to that one."_

"Well, I haven't called any of them yet so I'm not even sure if one of them will have an open room."

"_If not, you know you can always stay at the Li's."_

Tomoyo smirked. "Talking about the Li's, I heard of Syaoran's injury. How is he doing?"

"_He's hanging in there. A little emotional with everything that's been going on but he starts training in the pool tomorrow. So, hopefully he'll be able to take it. We're all kind of hoping his ankle will react in a good way once he starts stepping in the floor again."_

"I see. Are you in contact with his manager?"

"_Yeah. I mean, Xian wants me to keep him updated with the details on how Syaoran's doing."_

"Good. Well hopefully he'll start running in no time."

"_Yeah. Oh, Tomoyo I got to go. His manager is calling me. I'll talk to you soon with the hotel details. Okay?"_

"Sure. Thanks Sakura."

"_No problem. Ja ne!"_

She looked at her phone and sighed. Hopefully Sakura would be able to get her a room on Eriol's hotel. She hoped that the hotel had at least an empty room she could occupy to at least see her fiancé every day. She smiled and thinking of him she dialed once again his number to update him on his cousin's current situation like she had told him she would.

~ o ~

"Charles, I'm telling you he's fine. We're been very careful with him. I'm confident that his rehab will get him back up in no time."

"_Choi, this is business. As a manager you should know what a big investment he is to us. I'll feel a lot better if one of our doctors check him as well."_

"I understand you worrying over this but I can assure you there's no need. We're taking care of everything the right way. Li's personal doctor came to see him and his executive assistant is taking care of his schedules and nutrition. He'll be back up in no time. Trust me."

"_Executive assistant? You mean to tell me you're not even involved in this?"_

"I am his manager Charles. Off course I'm involved in this. But since his father also wants to stay on top of things his assistant is also helping in Syaoran's recuperation."

"_Who is this executive assistant you speak of? Is it Kinomoto?"_

"Yes. Kinomoto Sakura. I'm actually quite impressed, she's surprisingly very good at this."

_He heard Manchester's owner on the other side of the phone chuckled. "You're right then. I won't worry anymore about this. You should be the one that worries on her not taking your place."_

Choi laughed a little before noticing he was actually not making a joke at the moment. "You don't have to worry about that either."

"_Good. Let me know when he starts walking and keep me updated on his recovery."_

"Will do sir." He hung up the phone and looked at it. Dealing with team owners was the worst. They always wanted things to be done their way.

Choi rubbed his eyes and sighed. He only hoped Syaoran would at least be ready for tomorrow's training session. He had already talked with Kinomoto to let her know the details of their working schedule. They would start the day very early in the morning and do a three session per day rehab workout.

~ o ~

Suri walked through the streets of Japan enjoying each and every aspect of it. She had never been to Tomoeda before. As far as her memory would take her, she had only seen a few glimpses of it from a TV special programming on whole Japan as a tourism destination but the clips didn't do it justice. The place was far more beautiful when calmly walking through the streets of it. Which made her wonder why would her boss leave a place like this to live in busy China?

She looked at her destination in front of her and walked across the street to enter the place that carried her whole purpose for this trip. A lot of pictures from different people and groups adorned the wooden lodge walls. She kept looking at them until she found one that caught up her interest.

"Now please remember Sue, make sure to check the oven every night. Kitchen cleaned at all times. And make sure the doors are locked after closing each day. I will only be out for a month and a half but will call you every day to see how everything's going. If you have any problems with any of the chef's working, let me know right away so I can quickly take care of the situation."

Suri looked at her side. A black haired man with glasses was talking to a lady. After listening to him, she assumed that must have been Yuki. The girl nodded and left. He turned towards her and smiled. "May I help you?"

Suri smiled back, "Actually, I was thinking I would be helping you."

He curiously looked at her as she extended her hand at him.

"I'm Suri, Ms. Kinomoto's assistant."

He nodded his acknowledgement before smiling and shaking her hand. "Off course you are. I'm Yuki, very nice to meet you. I was expecting Ms. Kinomoto to come herself."

Suri nodded. "Well, she was but she got held up at the last minute. An emergency presented itself and she had to take care of it herself. I can assure you I will do my best so you feel as if she were the one helping you."

He nodded and smiled. "I see. Well, I have no doubt about that. I'm pretty sure been her assistant is not an easy job to do."

"You sound as if you personally know her."

He smiled. "Oh, I do. Since that girl was a little kid she has always been very demanding."

Suri chuckled. "Is that so? You've known her since she was little?"

Yuki nodded. "Her father used to travel a lot. Most of the time, she would come here to eat and have fun with her friends before going home. Ah… those were the good days."

Have fun? She couldn't imagine her boss having that much fun. All she knew of her boss was that she had never been a conformist. On the contrary, she was so perfectionist that most of her time was spent working in her office.

"Was that around the same time this picture was taken?" she signaled the picture were Yuki was smiling at the camera joined by four soccer players on his side.

Yuki looked at the picture and carefully looked back at her. "Are you sure you're her assistant and not a reporter?"

Suri chuckled and shook her head. "Don't worry. I won't say anything. I just found out a couple of days ago myself so I don't blame you for being worried. I have to say, he does look very different in this picture."

"He was happy back then." Yuki sighed as he contemplated the picture. "I remember they would come in after every game when they were in high school. He hated losing more than any other kid I have ever met. And yet she was the only one that could beat him in a game they would play in here and he would still leave with a smile on his face."

Suri scoffed. "Are you sure we're talking about the same guy? Word on the street is that he's a womanizer."

"Not the guy with this smile on his face." He sighed again and decided to change the subject. "Now, I have several pieces of equipment that I need to take with me. Also, I wanted to take some ingredients as well."

Suri nodded. "That's what I'm here for. I need to see the size of the equipment that you will be taking so I can coordinate with the moving company exactly what we need."

Yuki nodded. "Please follow me so I can show you."

Suri watched as Yuki turned to his side and followed him through the restaurant's kitchen doors.

~ o ~

Contrary to the other night, this time she was able to finish the second movie and go back to her room to sleep. By the time she woke up in the morning it was nine already and she was late for getting into the office. Since Suri was in Japan, she had set herself a goal of reaching the office early enough to cover for her absence. Yet, she hadn't been able to fulfill that goal since Suri left.

She calmly prepared herself in the mirror before hearing her door open.

"I'm glad you're awake."

Sakura kept finishing her makeup as Xiefa entered her room.

"Father wants us to have a late breakfast with a new client. It is possible that this person ends up investing in one of father's project and also he separated one of the VIP rooms on the stadium. So obviously this guy is very important for father."

'So much for reaching the office in the morning.' Sakura thought as she finished with the lip balm and turned around. "Okay. Where are we going?"

"Asashi's."

Sakura remembered the name. It was the restaurant she met her friends while having brunch the day they saw each other again. She nodded and picked up her purse. "Anything else I need to know on this client?"

"Well not much. Father just said to treat him well."

She nodded. They both walked down the stairs where they met a surprising sight. Syaoran was coming towards them along with his new trainer and Choi. He had just gotten out from his first pool training since the injury. Choi had wanted him to start the rehab training early in the morning so he could keep his daily routine just like his team scheduled practice. But what truly surprised them was the he was actually limping slowly without his crutches. His trainer was at his side holding them for him as he limped his way towards them.

"Slowly Syaoran. Don't over do it." Choi warningly said.

Suddenly Sakura froze. Although it was a surprise to see him limping towards them, it wasn't as much of a shock as seeing him half naked with only his towel around his waist. What a sight! His muscles were a lot more defined now than when she had left him seven years ago. She knew his body would change, I mean… who doesn't? It's just that she didn't know it would be to this extent. It took her quite a lot to stay composed at the sight in front of her as she felt herself getting red with each passing second.

He smirked. "See something you like?"

Calming herself, and trying to hide the effect looking at him this way again was doing to her, she replied, "I see you're walking. You're right… That is something I like."

"Are you sure that's all?" he teasingly asked.

She stared at him but didn't say anything. Luckily for her Xiefa decided to interrupt the conversation.

"Sakura, the client?"

"Right. Let's go." She smiled at them and excused herself before getting out the door.

Syaoran stared at the closed door and narrowed his eyes. Since the day he met Sakura years ago she had always been very careful and conscious of her movements. And yet, her stare was not the same as days ago. She was usually composed and confident of herself but just a couple of minutes ago he noticed her eyes were different as if she was hiding something from him.

"Something wrong?" Choi asked.

He simply shook his head. "Can you please ask Wei to bring my ice pack?"

Choi nodded and left to find Wei.

~ o ~

This whole brunch thing had been boring to say the least when it came to this new client. His project was not something that appealed to her in any way. The first couple of minutes after meeting him had been somewhat interesting then the conversation took a different turn making it easier for her to distract her mind with more occupying matters.

She had been able to keep her focus for the first fifteen minutes of the conversation then her mind went straight to lala land. Images of Syaoran walking through the hallway shirtless kept invading her mind. What she would give to run her fingers through his skin once again. But it wasn't just his body. The way his closeness made her feel was just unavoidable. She was certain that it was something she couldn't ignore anymore.

"Sakura?"

She quickly looked at Xiefa after hearing her name.

Xiefa raised her brow at her and asked, "What do you think?"

She noticed they were all waiting for her answer as she sighed and replied, "Well we'll have to run it by Mr. Li first and then we'll be able to decide."

Xiefa stared at her and shook her head a little not to draw too much attention before politely turning her head towards the client and smile. "It does sound appealing. I'm sure after we speak with my father we'll be able to have a final decision. Now about the convention center you want to use, does it have to be that specific one or could we perhaps throw in some options?"

Sakura listened to Xiefa and took the chance to excuse herself. "I'm sorry. I'll be right back. I need to use the restroom."

Mr. Hito nodded.

Sakura quickly stood up from the table and walked towards the restroom. She was sure she needed a break from everything she was supposed to hear. Apparently the guy wanted to do some kind of auction activity in one of China's convention centers. She wasn't entirely sure why Xian would be interested in doing an event like this.

She took a deep breath and looked at herself in the mirror before taking a deep breath. 'We can do this. Just focus and finish hearing this guy out so that we can go back to our office.' She opened the sink and washed her hands before taking a napkin to dry them with. Suddenly, the door opened and through the mirror reflection she saw someone who she wasn't expecting to see at all. 'Great! Just when I thought things couldn't get worst.'

"You must feel like the luckiest girl alive being Li's assistant. Tell me, do you get to be at his son's side every day now? Kind of like déjà vu isn't?"

Sakura took a deep breath and tiredly rolled her eyes before turning towards her. "I've heard you've been calling nonstop to the office. But stalking? Isn't that a little too much for you even if you're a reporter Katherine?"

Katherine smiled. "It's good to know you've been getting my messages."

"Oh trust me, I've been getting your messages but perhaps you haven't been getting mine."

Katherine smirked. "I want to be part of the reporters for the Cup. I heard you're in charge of the list."

"You're well informed. Unfortunately for you, the reporters allowed in the Cup are already chosen."

Katherine sweetly smiled at her. "Then let me make this easy on you, I know you dated Li in the past and I will divulge the information to different networks if you don't get me inside that list."

Sakura chuckled. "Do you have any idea who you're dealing with? I will not get you on that list. And for future occurrences, I don't get intimidated by blackmail either. So I suggest you go back to your house and accept the fact that if you want to sleep with Li again you'll have to find another way."

Katherine chuckled. "Is that why I'm not on the list? Because you're jealous?"

"Jealous?" Sakura chuckled again before staring straight at her. "You're not on the list because you're not good enough to be in it. Accept that fact, move on, and don't try to find me again for this." Sakura finished drying her hands, threw the napkin to the trash can, and confidently walked out of the bathroom leaving a very pissed off Katherine in it.

~ o ~

Tomoyo's flight arrived in China right on time. Luckily enough for her, the flight had been as smooth as any passenger would dream of having. Being in the fashion world required her to fly all over the world whenever big opportunities would present themselves. And, while many would think of this as a benefit, for her it wasn't the same. As a frequent flyer, that meant that her chances of having a bad experience when it came to flying only increased but this one had actually been quite different today. She was surprised she hadn't found any problems at all today.

She followed the crowd of people who had just arrived with her on the international flight towards the usual China Customs area. As she walked she grabbed her cell phone from her purse and dialed her lovable fiancé's phone number.

"_Hey babe! Did you just arrive?"_

"Yeah. I'm going through customs right now. Sakura was able to get me a room so I'll be in the hotel in about an hour or so."

"_That's great! Then I'll wait for you. Coach is finally letting us see Syaoran at auntie's house."_

"Oh really? That's great baby. How is he doing?"

"_Well, I guess he's getting better. Coach was the one that talked to him."_

"I bet he is all better now." She sarcastically said.

"_Why is that?"_

"You haven't heard?"she asked him.

"_Heard what?" he asked._

She hesitated before answering him. "Well, nothing is confirmed yet because I haven't talked about this with Sakura but I heard from a very good friend of mine that Sakura broke up with Jun."

"_What?" he asked not believing the news._

"Like I said, I need to confirm baby but one of the girls was talking about it. Something about him having problems with her about some other guy. Can you imagine who could that be? It doesn't sound like anyone we know, right?" she sarcastically asked smiling sweetly at herself.

"_I'm not sure that's true love. A couple of days ago the news said they got engaged."_

"Well, we'll see. I'm surprised Kyu hasn't said anything. Meiling must have heard by now."

_He sighed before carefully answering, "Yeah… about that, we'll have to talk when you get here."_

"Oh oh… that doesn't sound too good."

_He chuckled. "We'll talk when you get here."_

"Oh, babe I have to go. I'm next."

"_Okay. Love you! See you here!"_

"Love you too. Ja ne!" she said before hanging up the phone. She put the phone away as she heard the man calling her next. Approaching to the cubicle, she handed over her passport and calmly waited for the man to finish with the inspection.

"Had a good trip?" he asked.

"I'm better now that I have arrived." She honestly answered.

She kept looking at the guy who nodded at her answer. His eyes scanned her passport cautiously as his face remained a little too serious for her taste. She guessed to be placed in this sort of job one of the requirements must've been to act all serious. His lack of smile bothered her a little but she decided only to answer what he asked so that she could be on her way as soon as possible.

"Do you live here?" he asked still looking down at her passport.

"Japan. My fiancé is playing here next month."

The guy nodded again.

"Soccer player is he?" he asked.

'What's with all the questions?' she thought before answering him, "Yes."

"What's in the bag?"

"Just my personal womanly daily things." She answered already a little anxious at him holding her up. She was eager to get away so that she could reach the hotel already.

He nodded. "Please step out this way. One of my partners will have to check the bag before we can release you."

She sighed and nodded knowing any show of neglecting his order would only worsen the situation. 'But off course something needed to happen at the airport. No flight is this good without having some sort of problem in the way.' She stepped aside and waited for his partner to arrive.

~ o ~

She had finally left her office and arrived at the Li's house in time for dinner. As she passed the gates, she noticed more cars than usual parked in front of the house. Most of them were expensive cars, which made her wonder if Xian had a meeting at his house instead of the office. But then, as she kept scanning through the group of cars she noticed Eriol's and Kyu's in one of the corners. She parked hers right next to them and went straight into the house.

She walked into the house after a hard day at work. Although she was leaving most of the rest of the tournament's planning to Suri, like Xian had suggested, her desk had piles of paper waiting for her to take care of them. More so now that Suri would be out one more day. This whole take-care-of-Syaoran was having a toll on her as she knew she would have to work extra hours to at least stay updated on her work as well.

Feimei was the first person she found after Wei led her inside. "Who else is here? Why are there a bunch of cars outside?" she asked her.

"China's coach allowed the team to visit Syaoran today." Feimei calmly explained.

"Visiting? Didn't we agree that he wouldn't receive visits until he was better?" Sakura asked her.

"It's his coach. You might want to talk to him about this if it bothers you."

Sakura sighed. It wasn't her intention to act all pissed off but she was tired. "Do you have his chart?"

"The trainer has it on the pool."

Sakura nodded while walking at Feimei's side. They walked towards the pool where she knew she would find him. The sound of laughter from the other guys could be heard from the hallway. With each step she took the voices would grow louder. As she walked inside the pool area, she noticed some of the guys sitting down with their legs inside the pool. Syaoran was completely inside of it in the middle of the group talking and laughing as well.

She kept looking around. When she finally found the trainer standing in one of the corners, she walked towards him. "Can I see his progress chart for today?"

"Miss Kinomoto! I didn't know you were coming today." He fidgeted with some papers before handing her a clipboard.

Sakura scanned the progress report exercise by exercise. "Why is he still on turbulence level two? Didn't you have him scheduled for finishing with three tonight?" She asked while looking at him.

"Well, I know the training calendar says he would be done with level three tonight, but every schedule depends on how the patient feels. If it hurts too much then we shouldn't push for something his ankle is still not ready for. Besides, he was able to reach level two. It took him a little while probably because this morning was his first pool training but it was good enough."

Sakura stared at him. If looks could kill his trainer would be dead by now. "Excuse me?" she asked him.

The trainer suddenly felt a little nervous but slowly repeated, "I insist Miss Kinomoto. If his ankle is not ready to work on level three whirlpool training then we shouldn't push it."

Sakura stared at the trainer before taking a deep breath. Sometimes if you wanted things done the right way you had to do them yourself. Being a faithful believer of this she started to take her jacket off.

"Sakura, what are you doing?" Feimei asked.

Sakura took off her shoes and started to unbutton her red blouse. "I'm going to prove he is indeed ready to finish a level three whirlpool training."

"Sakura!" Kyu said from the other side of the pool surprised to see her here.

Syaoran turned around to watch Sakura taking off her shirt and stand in her red bra near the pool.

"Dam..!" One of his teammates loudly started to say before Eriol quickly put his hand in his mouth to shut him up.

"What the heck are you doing?" Syaoran loudly asked.

"I heard you were having some trouble finishing your pool training today…" she said loud enough so that he could hear her answer.

"If you came to gloat or make fun of me, you can leave the same way you came in." Syaoran was pissed. What the heck was she doing taking her clothes off in front of all these men? Was she crazy?

She kept taking her clothes off ignoring his warning. "So I decided to make a deal with you."

"You can make a deal with your clothes on." He loudly said to her from the other side of the pool as well.

She smirked, knowing perfectly well the effect she was having on him already. She slowly and provocatively unzipped her skirt as well and let it fall into the ground to reveal her matching red bikini panties. With the same patience and never leaving his eyes, she walked to the pool and slowly slid herself inside the water across from him.

"Deal? What are you talking about?" Eriol asked but immediately shut himself off after seeing the warning in her eyes.

She looked at Syaoran, "I'll make a deal with you, you walk all the way to me with the whirlpool on level three and I'll let you have a wish."

"What?" Kyu was the first to react.

Syaoran kept looking at her. In all the time he had known her, Sakura never gave anything without receiving something in return. Which brought him to his answer, "Name your terms. You would never give something like that without expecting something in return. Unless the wish is what you're expecting in return…" he arrogantly said.

She smirked after hearing his answer while some of his friends laugh at his side. 'He hasn't changed one bit', which only worked on her favor. His eyes never left hers and she knew this too well. The water reached just under her breast line. "Terms: First, whirlpool will be in level three. You must walk all the way to this side of the pool to get your prize. Second, you only get to fall down three times. After the third, you'll miss me. Third, if you do get your prize, you can't go back to training any lower than this."

"Three times…? That's impossible Sakura!" Kyu said.

"Trainer, is that possible?" Choi asked.

"It's a little risky. I already told her if he ends up over doing it then he could get worst instead of getting better."

"Ms. Kinomoto…" Choi called her.

"Do you accept?" Sakura ignored Choi. She didn't care much for the trainer's answer. She was sure Syaoran could be walking and running in no time if it wasn't for the trainer's weak methods.

"Can it be any wish? Whatever I want?" he tried to take advantage of her offer after seeing her get in.

"You're even considering this Syaoran? Didn't you just hear the trainer?" Eriol asked.

She hesitated before answering. It wasn't that she didn't know what she was doing… it was that she understood the meaning behind his question.

"Syaoran, you heard the trainer. You can't push yourself too hard or you may get worst." Choi said.

"Trainer," Sakura said "How fast can someone with his type of injury reach a person on my side of the pool from his side of the pool with the whirlpool on level three?"

"I'd say about five minutes with the way his ankle is right now."

She nodded and stated, "Term number four: you reach in three minutes or less, you get to choose your wish."

"The trainer said five." He said to her.

She kept looking at him and smirked "If you want, I can get out and let him take my place."

He scoffed but smirked. "Three it is."

"This is crazy! You're both mad." The trainer said from the side.

Feimei, who had been watching the entire scene from the side, chuckled. Suddenly coming home after work instead of going to her apartment didn't seem that boring after all. "Trainer, can you set the time? This has gotten interesting."

The trainer shook his head but nonetheless looked for his chronometer to take the timing.

"Syaoran, do you know what you're doing?" Kyu asked him in a low voice so that only he would hear him.

"Shut up Kyu. I'm doing this." He said while still looking at Sakura. There was no way he would miss this chance.

Feimei turned the whirlpool on from the side. The force of the current made Syaoran grimace as he felt a little pain on his ankle but he kept his stance.

"Start!"

As soon as he heard the words coming out of his trainer's mouth, he started to walk towards her. His teammates cheered for him at the side but all he could see was her eyes. She was looking intently at him, almost smiling. He was pissed. He kept walking step by step.

"One minute!" the trainer shouted.

He kept walking. He was almost half way through. In the middle of the pool, the force of the currents increased which made it harder on him to walk but he still forced himself to do it. He took his next step and slipped for the first time since he started. The pain was unbearable to take at this point but he calmed himself and took the step with his right leg even if it hurt.

"Last minute!" the trainer shouted.

He could hear his teammates on the back still cheering for him. As he tried to take his next step, he stopped. He tried to put his right foot again on the pool floor but it hurt him. He closed his eyes and tried to focus again.

Sakura watched him stop. He was almost at the other side by now. "You have less than a minute left Syaoran! Are you stopping now? I assure you this offer will not come again."

He stared at her as he grimaced with his next step. He was almost at the finish line by now. Just a couple of steps would do. He was breathing hard as he took his next steps carefully. One slip could easily take his prize away. He took a couple of steps more till he finally reached her and encased her with his arms. He placed his hands on the pool border at each side of hers before looking directly at her eyes and saying, "I will make you pay for this one Sakura. Mark my words."

She smirked at him, "You just did what your trainer didn't think you could do tonight. If you ask me, it was well worth it."

He stared at her as he tried to catch his breath. Right now, he didn't know if he truly wanted to kiss her or strangulate her. His ankle hurt really badly right now.

"So, what's it going to be?" she asked.

"I will save it for later." He said narrowing his eyes at her. "Now… can you please put your clothes back on?"

She chuckled but nodded. She was about to get out of the pool but he stopped her. "Feimei! Throw me my shirt please."

Feimei chuckled from the side knowing her dear brother was probably trying to hold his anger within himself. He had never been a patient man but more than that he had always been very protective when it came to Sakura. Feimei picked up his shirt and threw it to him.

"Woa! You still had fifteen seconds to go. Nice job Syaoran." The trainer said from the side.

Syaoran grabbed his shirt and gave it to her. "Here, put this on before getting out."

"I guess you're not the only one that can go around the house half naked." She jokingly said.

He narrowed his eyes at her. "Don't provoke me Sakura."

She smirked and chuckled before nodding. She put his shirt on before getting out of the pool. Feimei brought her a towel which she gladly took before looking at his trainer again. "You better not let him train any less than that from now on."

The trainer gulped after hearing her words and nodded. He truly wasn't sure who was worst to deal with. Syaoran or her?

**Author's note**: Thank you very much to all of you who reviewed my last chapter. Sigh! Well, finally Sakura broke up with Jun. I know a lot of you were waiting on that one. : ) I truly hope you guys enjoyed this one as well and let me know what you think about this one.


	12. Chapter 12 - Crossing Bridges

"_**Sometimes you have to be strong when you feel like giving up, have to fight when you just want to run away, because sometimes it is all you can do to keep going." - Brigitte**_

**Chapter 12**

"**Crossing Bridges"**

She ran around the corner of the park to finish her morning run. Looking at her watch flashing her ending time, she stopped and started walking to slow her heart rate to normal again. As her usual morning routing she walked straight to a small corner of the park and started stretching her arms before stretching her legs.

Today, she had decided to run a little earlier than usual wanting to head back in time to see Syaoran's progress in his morning rehab. He had finally started limping on his own a week ago, his trainer started giving him bike training yesterday and today he was having his second medical checkup from the family doctor to see how his ankle was holding up.

Her watch beeped again reminding her of the doctor's visit to the house. Doing her final leg stretch, she got up from the ground and walked towards her car. The sun was just starting to show his rays through the mountains. It was such a beautiful sight to enjoy in the mornings but today she wouldn't be able to do so.

She started her car and headed to Li's house. After arriving and parking her car, she entered the house and went straight to the small gym at the end of the house. Entering the room confidently she searched for the one responsible of his training as usual. She looked around and saw Syaoran running on the bike already. She was quite impressed with his progress so far which made her believe his rehab was going a lot better than expected but she wasn't the one that could confirm that.

She was glad to see that Ryu was already there looking at Syaoran's ankle in the morning. Looking at her watch she noticed he was actually earlier than when he said he would be. It was no wonder why Xian trusted him a lot better than any other doctor.

"Ryu! I'm glad you're here already." She greeted him with a smile.

At her greeting, Syaoran looked thoroughly at her but didn't say anything. She was wearing knee length spandex and a training tank top which matched the pink line on her pants. Her wet ponytail let him know she had just arrived from working out.

"Ah, Miss Sakura, Is good to see you again. How have you been?" Ryu greeted smiling at her as well.

"I've been good. A little busy but I'm used to it by now. Have you had a chance of inspecting his ankle?"

The doctor nodded. "I did just a couple of minutes ago."

"How is he doing?"

The doctor looked at Syaoran and optimistically answered, "Well, you're doing better than I expected but that doesn't mean your ankle is ready yet."

"I know it isn't." Syaoran muttered a little bothered with the news.

The doctor chuckled and turned his sight to Sakura. Through his glasses he asked her, "Ms. Kinomoto, may I speak with you?"

She nodded and walked outside the gym with the doctor behind her. After getting out, she turned around to face him. The sight before her didn't bring any comfort as she watched him sigh taking his glasses off.

"What's wrong?" she asked him.

The door opened again and Choi came walking out as well. "If it has to do with Syaoran, I should be included in the conversation as well."

The doctor looked at Sakura for confirmation. She nodded as a sign of confirmation and waited for the doctor to continue.

"He is doing better than expected after two weeks of rehab but I'm afraid he needs to rest as well."

"He is resting." She said.

The doctor shook his head and smiled. "I've known Li since he was a little kid. I can assure you that boy is not resting. As I inspected his ankle this morning, he was trying to hide that it's still hurting him just so that he could keep up with his training. This cup thing could also be increasing his anxiety to start training again but it's like I told you. His full recovery is what's important right now."

"Doctor, there's not much he can do right now but rest." Choi said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"If I still know Li the way I think I do, he is not resting enough. Has he had supervision at all times?"

"Alright, let's think about this for a moment doctor. With someone at his side or without someone, he still can't do much on its own now. I think we all know that." Choi tried to defend Syaoran. It was a little hard for him to believe the doctor's words especially when he had just talked with his rehab trainer early in the morning and he had confirmed that everything was going according to schedule.

Sakura kept looking at the doctor. What Choi had just said was true. This past week all Syaoran had been able to do was stay in his room. Of that, she was aware of. He had only started limping at the end of this week. She had been massaging his ankle as well just like the doctor had suggested. So, why was the doctor requesting for him to rest as well?

_She found him out of his bed doing pushups in the side of it. She narrowed her eyes, walked towards him and kicked him not too hard but not too softly on the stomach. _

_"Ah!" He shrunk on the floor and grabbed his stomach where she had hit him. _

_"Aren't you supposed to be resting?" she narrowed her eyes at him._

_"Do you have to hit me like this? I'm sure there are better ways of greeting someone who's injured."_

_She smirked. "Someone who is injured should be in his bed resting if you ask me."_

_He looked at her and narrowed her eyes._

She thoughtfully took a deep breath before asking the doctor, "What do you suggest?"

Choi looked at her surprised at her question. "Ms. Kinomoto, you've been with us all the time checking his rehab. He has been meeting each level as scheduled. The whole idea of you approving the schedule was to get him up to speed as soon as possible."

She looked at Choi. "The schedule means nothing to me if he's not going to recover 100% for his career. If he's able to make the Cup great but that's not my priority." She looked at the doctor again and asked, "What do you suggest for resting?"

Ryu could see why Xian wanted Sakura taking care of his son's rehab all along and smiled to himself before replying to her question. "Well, he certainly started walking already but like I said my guess is it still hurts him a little although he won't say anything about it. Maybe it's better if instead of doing so much rehab he can get to do something that doesn't require so much time like walking slowly to a place and then resting. That way it won't be such a burden on his ankle and it won't affect his recovery."

Sakura nodded. She looked at Choi and asked, "How far is he with his rehab after this morning?"

"He's doing really well right now. Everything is on schedule as you know."

"Then I think that perhaps he can have tonight off."

Choi scoffed. "I don't think he'll go well with that. Do you know Syaoran at all?"

Ryu chuckled at his question but nonetheless looked at Sakura. "I'll leave this to you then." He didn't know much about the history between these two but it was obvious that if Xian wanted Sakura to be involved with his son's recuperation then it meant that she was more than capable of handling the situation. "I must be off. I have to open the clinic in a couple of minutes."

She nodded. "Thank you again for coming Ryu. We'll see you next week." She waited until he was out the door before turning towards Choi. "I'll tell Syaoran he's not going to have his rehab tonight. You don't have to worry about that." Turning around, she walked towards her room to take a shower and get ready to work.

~ o ~

She woke up happy to find herself in the arms of the man she loved soon to be her husband. Ah… the thought only brought more joy to her as she moved her head to fill his neck with sweet soft kisses.

He chuckled feeling her at his side. "Mmm… You're awake."

She chuckled as well. "Are you sure you won't get in trouble for bringing me inside your room?"

He put his fingers below her chin to make her look at him. "I would get in trouble if coach finds out but I'm glad to say years rooming with Syaoran have finally paid off."

She laughed at his words and smirked. "What a great teacher that cousin of yours. The more I think about it the more I dislike the fact that when he was rooming with you he was still a renowned womanizer."

He thought about it and nodded. "Well, at least he taught me how to get you in unseen."

She sweetly smiled at him. "I'm not sure you're helping yourself on this one love."

He chuckled. "In that case, I won't say any more on this matter." He said before kissing her softly. "Good morning love."

She smiled dazzled by his kiss. "Mmm good morning!" She felt him tightened his hug to bring her closer to him. It was comforting to feel that they had finally settled down their relationship. Contrary to what many would think their relationship had not been perfect. It had started sweet but it also had many bumps in their way before the engagement. In fact, Syaoran had some of the fault in that, if not all of it.

"_Hold on babe, let me get my keys out." He said as he held his phone on his shoulder while fetching his keys with his hand on his pocket. He had just gotten back from getting Tomoyo's birthday present at the mall. As soon as he grabbed his keys, he took them out to unlock the door. _

"_You know, you would love England. You have to come here one time." she said._

_He chuckled as he grabbed his phone once again. "Well, who knows… I might visit you sometime this year."_

_She scoffed and sighed. "That's what you said last year and see where that left us. I was even able to get a free plane ticket out of the miles on my card."_

"_Oh, come on babe. It's easier for you to travel than me. My team isn't flexible when it comes to having days off. You know that." He said as he opened his apartment door._

"_Syaoran! Give it back. I was eating that!"_

_Eriol stood frozen at the sight in front of him. A woman was tackling Syaoran on the floor while he was laughing holding an ice pop over his head making it hard for the woman to reach. Her underwear was completely visible as her white button shirt was entirely opened and around her waist._

"_Who is that?" Tomoyo asked after hearing a woman's voice on the phone._

"_Uh… no one babe. I'm just walking towards my room." He quickly said as he started to quickly walk towards his room before it was too late._

"_If you want it, you'll have to come and get it." Syaoran said to her._

_The woman chuckled as she flirted her way with Syaoran before Eriol could reach his room. "You know I wouldn't mind getting it."_

"_That's a woman's voice Eriol! Who is there?" Tomoyo exclaimed after hearing the voice for the second time._

_Eriol regretfully closed his eyes before carefully replying, "Is not what you think babe."_

_Syaoran smirked. "Wait doll, my cousin is probably talking to his girlfriend. We don't want to get him in trouble." _

"_Girlfriend? Why would a guy like him want to have a girlfriend?" She looked towards Eriol and sweetly smiled at him. "You should enjoy life just like Li is doing right now." Then with a smirk she turned back to look at Syaoran and finished her sentence, "or about to."_

_Syaoran chuckled and nodded. "See, that's what I keep telling him."_

_Eriol threw a murderous look at Syaoran._

"_Is that what you want?" Tomoyo asked on the phone. "What that woman is saying to you?"_

_Eriol quickly forgot about everything else and locked himself in his room. "No babe. You know that's not what I want."_

"_Really? Maybe I don't know Eriol. Perhaps you can explain to me because it looks like the only one doing sacrifices for this relationship most of the times is me."_

"_That's not true babe, I love you."_

"_You know what? Maybe we should talk later. I don't want to keep talking to you right now."_

_Eriol's mood change from been happy to been really pissed off. "Why are you minding my cousin? You know how he's been Tomoyo."_

"_So have you. And yet, you decided to live with him. Do you honestly think that I feel comfortable that you are living with him? I don't even approve of it and you knew this before deciding any of this. So, forgive me if I get mad at you for hearing another woman's voice in your apartment but you can't honestly expect me not to be mad about it."_

"_I'm not cheating on you Tomoyo. I'm not that kind of guy."_

"_A lot of guys say that Eriol but when the slip comes… a slip it's still cheating."_

_Eriol sighed. Hurt by her words he carefully said, "I wouldn't do that to you. You should trust me more."_

_Tomoyo sighed. "I'll talk to you later. I don't want to keep talking about this." She said before hanging up the phone._

Syaoran had even experienced Tomoyo's wrath from time to time thanks to his playing around with women while rooming with Eriol. She remembered one of their biggest fights and smiled at the memory while looking at her ring. At the time she had been furious with Eriol, but with time they had been able to overcome their problems. Day by day they had been able to work through it until finally her birthday present came that year… her engagement ring.

"What are you thinking?" she asked him.

"I'm thinking about what you told me about Sakura the other day. After last night, I think you're right about her breakup with Jun."

"Because of what happened in the pool?" she asked. He had told her about the incident last night after the team's visit to Syaoran.

"She would have never done that if she was still with Jun."

"Do you think your cousin knows?"

"I don't know. But Syaoran has never been dense. On the contrary he has always been astute when it comes to these things. If he doesn't know, he probably has an idea already running in his head."

She worked herself out of his embrace and sat looking at him. "You don't sound too happy at your cousin knowing."

He stared at her. "That's because I'm not."

She sighed. "Eriol, I know you love your cousin sweetie and I know you want to protect him, even if he doesn't need to, but Syaoran still loves Sakura. I think after the cabin none of us can say any less. If she still loves him back then-"

"That's the whole problem Tomoyo. I'm not too convinced that she loves him back as he does her. She already destroyed him once. There's no need to know what can happen if she does it again."

She curiously stared at him. "And what makes you think she'll destroy him? What if she still loves him back the same but she doesn't dare to show it?"

Eriol stared at her. "Is that really what you think or has she said anything to you?"

She rolled her eyes at him and sighed. "She hasn't said anything. I'm just asking."

He took a deep breath before patiently looking at his fiancé. "Tomoyo, I know you want to defend her. I mean, she was my friend too. Still is and I wish I could do the same but I can't avoid worrying over this. The timing terribly sucks."

She sighed. There was nothing she could do to keep her fiancé from worrying over something 'unnecessary' if you asked her. He was just like that, a running mind that never stopped thinking or even get tired of over thinking things. "On a change of subject, Kyu asked Meiling to get married."

Eriol unbelievably stared at her and widened his eyes. "What?"

Tomoyo nodded and laughed at his face. Definitely the news had served their purpose. Syaoran and Sakura had just passed to another page on his mind. She nodded and said, "Meiling called me hysterically fighting over the fact that he had been serious about the proposal."

He scoffed. "Kyu hasn't said anything."

"And he will not. She rejected him." She simply said while holding her need to laugh at the whole situation.

Eriol scoffed and shook his head. "What is wrong with my cousins, baby? Am I the only one who turned up been normal?"

Tomoyo chuckled and shook her head before going back to been at his side and hugging him. "Don't be so sure of yourself. You do have your things too, you know… I just put up with it because I love you too much." She sweetly said.

He chuckled in her embrace.

"But I will say this, I think she's afraid and I understand her. I mean, they have been so unstable throughout all these years." Tomoyo said.

"Even so love, they have always been able to get back together. Doesn't that count for something?"

She nodded. "I guess it does but you know Meiling… she needs months to think about it until she finally sees that it is not a bad thing after all. My guess…" she looked at him and gave him a quick kiss before finishing her thought. "They'll probably end up getting engaged after the tournament."

He gave her another quick kiss before saying, "I love you babe."

She chuckled. "I love you too."

~ o ~

Suri walked down the private jet small stairs and took a deep breath. "Ahh, finally back home." She quickly took her phone out to look at her messages. It was early afternoon already with just a week away from perhaps the biggest event she had helped put up together. She answered two messages she had from Sakura before looking at the rest of the messages on her phone.

*Hey, it's me. Just call me when you get in.

*Or you can just leave a message.

*It doesn't matter. Whatever you want to do is fine.

*Is just a request nothing obligatory.

*Or I can just call ur office just to make sure u got in.

*I'm babbling never mind.

*If you don't want to u can just ignore this.

After checking her messages the other twenty five were from Mark. She chuckled to herself before putting her phone away. The poor man was just a walking nervous wreck, probably even worse than her and she hated planes.

They weren't in a romantic relationship yet but she found his company to be pretty pleasing. She found he was still a little shy when it came to taking their relationship forward but half of the fault in that was probably hers. She still wasn't too sure of herself when it came to dating a man like him. She made a note to herself on asking her boss about this. Sakura probably had a lot more experience on dating someone like Mark.

Yuki showed his head from the airplane door and smiled. "Ah, China. It's been many years since I visited this place." He started to walk down the steps to reach the ground.

Suri curiously looked at him. "When was your last time here?"

"About twenty years ago." He put his backpack on his back and started walking towards the glass doors with Suri at his side.

"Oh wow. It has changed greatly since you last came then."

"Hopefully in a good way." He thoughtfully said. "Do you have a schedule for me or something I need to follow while I'm here?"

Suri kindly smiled at him. "Well, Ms. Kinomoto likes to have everything under control but I'm guessing you already know that. There is no such thing as a set schedule until the event starts but Sakura would like for you to meet the president and vice president."

"The Li's?" He asked. "I'd be more than delightful to meet them."

She nodded. "This way please." They walked through the airport and made their way to a limousine that was waiting for them outside. "Your equipment will be taken straight to the field where you'll be working for the VIP rooms."

"I spoke with Sakura before agreeing on doing this for her. I asked her if I could have a feel for the room I'll be working at." Yuki said before getting inside the limousine.

Suri nodded getting inside of the limousine as well and motioning for the driver to start driving. "She did say that to me. If you want, we can go now before stopping at the office or we can go later. It's up to you."

Yuki nodded and kindly smiled at her. "If you don't mind, I'd like to go now."

She nodded again. "Very well then." She pushed the intercom buttons inside of the limousine and said, "Driver, please take us to the field first."

"Understood ma'am."

~ o ~

Sakura put her phone away and entered the Li's house. Her assistant had arrived with Yuki as scheduled. She had just received a call from Suri informing her that they would stop at the field before going into the office. Sakura had already taken care of making his workplace presentable and workable for him as she knew he had always been so conscious of his surroundings when it came to work.

She opened Syaoran's room and smile seeing him getting ready for his third rehab of the day. "Hey!"

"You're here earlier than usual." He greeted her and went back to tying his tennis shoes.

She smiled. "I asked Choi to give you tonight off."

He quickly gazed up and stared at her. "Why?"

"I want you to come with me to a place." She said as she walked to his closet.

He curiously looked at her. "Where?"

She went through his clothes and chose a gray shirt that wouldn't draw too much attention for him to wear and jeans. She threw them on his bed right at his side. "You can wear this."

"Can't we go after rehab?"

"Will you just dress up? I'll wait for you in the living room." She said before walking out of his room.

He stared at the closed door. What the heck was going on? He carefully got up from bed and dressed up. Grabbing his crutches, he slowly walked towards the living room where Sakura was waiting for him just like she said she would. She was holding her purse on hand while writing something in her phone.

After finishing her text, she looked at him. "You're ready?"

He chuckled and nodded. "Are you telling me where we're going?"

"Nope, you're just going to have to trust me." She easily replied before walking out the door.

Syaoran walked outside to find her getting inside her car. He followed her just like she asked him to and got in as well. After several turns and street lights, they finally arrived at their destination. Sakura turned off her car and started to look for some change in her wallet for the street meters.

"The park?" he asked.

She smiled. "Come on." She said while opening her door.

He sighed. "I should be training."

"You'd rather be training than in here with me?" she smirked at him.

He got out of the car and started to reach for his crutches on the back seat of her car. "That's not what I meant."

"No, you can leave the crutches on the car."

He curiously looked at her.

She smiled while dropping two quarters for the meter to start running. "The doctor said this morning that as long as you don't overdo your walking, you're going to be okay."

He narrowed his eyes as he slowly started limping his way towards her. "Really? Is that what he said when he asked to speak with you?"

She nodded and started to walk to the park's sidewalk slowly to make sure Syaoran could walk along side her. "He said you're doing well and could use a break."

He turned his face away from her a little bothered from hearing the word 'break'. I mean… what the heck had he been doing since he got injured? "The doctor doesn't know anything. I'm the one hurt and the one that knows what's best for my own body."

"So what's best for your body is to go back to a bike instead of being with me on the park? I'll keep that in mind." She jokingly said.

"Stop twisting my words Sakura." He rubbed his hands through his face.

"How does it feel?"

"Obviously it's still hurting but that's normal." He tiredly said from listening to the same question over and over again.

She knew that tone very well and sighed. "I'm not asking you for the obvious. How does it feel to walk without the crutches?"

"Hurts more, but I've already convinced myself that's probably how you want me to feel." He sarcastically said.

She chuckled and looked at him. "So I'm some kind of punishment in your head?"

"More like a reminder." He jokingly replied.

She chuckled.

"What if I suddenly lose a step? Am I allowed to hold your hand?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Nope. I guess you'll have to fall to the ground while I laugh at your clumsiness."

He chuckled and shook his head. "That's mean even for you." He looked at her thoroughly as she kept walking towards the railings.

It wasn't the first time they had been in this part of the park. Couple of weeks after meeting again she found him in these same railings in one of her morning runs. She remembered he had said this place used to hold some enjoyable thoughts from his childhood. It was the reason why she decided this place would work at least to rest for a little as the doctor ordered.

"Where's your ring?" he curiously asked.

She didn't stop walking already knowing the question would've come up sooner or later. Since the moment she met him she knew he had always been very observant. "Why? Do you want to know if you could've outdone him?"

"I don't need to see his ring to know I probably would've." He confidently answered as they finally reached the railings.

"I'm not used to wearing rings."

He stared at her. "If I were him, I wouldn't let you go out of the house without it."

"But you're not him." She sweetly smiled at him before changing the subject. "Why don't we talk about something more important like, why haven't you been resting?"

He rolled his eyes, shook his head, and turned it away from her muttering, "Or, we could just not talk."

She smiled knowing he would probably hate this talk. Especially since it dealt with how he was handling his rehab. "That night wasn't the only night you've been doing exercises out of the rehab schedule, was it?"

"I already told you, the doctor doesn't know what's best for my body."

She lost her sweetness after hearing him and became a little more serious with him. "Syaoran, we all want you to be back playing as soon as possible. But you doing things on your own isn't helping right now."

"Don't try to tell me how to handle my life Sakura."

He snapped at her but she didn't back down. "I'm not trying to handle your life. I'm telling you the truth. Many people are involved in your recuperation for you to hurt yourself more because you're overdoing your exercises more than you should."

He scoffed. "Many people involved meaning you? I didn't ask you to do this."

She was pissed. If he wanted to be a brat about all of this he had another thing coming. "Many people involved meaning everyone starting by your family doctor who comes in early enough to look at your ankle before he has to open his clinic, your teammates who have been practicing nonstop believing in you, your father who has arranged for you to have the best equipment available at any time, your agent who has been diligently dealing with the owner of Manchester, your trainer who has designed your entire rehab schedule and perhaps yes even me. Do you need me to go on?"

He shook his head sighing and looking away knowing that he had probably made a mistake in saying that. "You don't understand."

"What is it that I don't understand? That this is hard for you? Trust me I know it is but you need to trust us."

He looked at her again. "That's easy for you to say but it isn't easy for me to do."

"Then trust me." She sighed and calmed down before she could actually gave herself away. "You need to rest your ankle Syaoran. You were lucky enough that the injury wasn't worse but if you don't rest then it can become worse."

"I can't just do nothing Sakura." He took a deep breath before finally saying, "It's killing me to stay in that room with nothing to do."

"Is that all that's pushing you to do it? Being bored in your room?"

He kept staring at her until he finally decided to look away. It wasn't just been bored, exercising had always been his way of calming his mind from thinking. Thinking about his injury, thinking about the tournament, thinking about what would be expected of him after recuperating from his injury, thinking about what his new life on England would be like, and finally the thought that came in between of each of those thoughts, her. He needed to exercise.

His silenced confirmed his answer. It was all she would get from him but it was better than a bratty answer. She walked over to one of the benches and sat before motioning for him to do the same. He slowly followed but, instead of sitting down, he slide down on the bench and put his head on her thighs.

"Syaoran…"

He smirked. "You said I needed to rest."

She chuckled. "You never miss a chance do you?" She watched him smile and close his eyes. Their relationship had always been like this. Even before as friends, they could fight a million times but they could always comeback to this.

Fighting the urge of running her hands through his hair as she had once done so, she looked towards the mountains. She had missed this morning's sunrise in the morning but the sunset was even more beautiful to see as the sun hid his last rays through the mountains. "There's another reason I wanted to bring you here, aside from making you rest a little."

"Not surprised." He just said smiling without opening his eyes.

"Your sister found someone who can help you develop your project. She asked me to speak with you about it. He's someone she can trust and has the vision to oversee the development of the field."

He opened his eyes and looked at her. "Why can't you do it? And… I'm serious this time."

She smiled at him. "Are you willing to put it under Li Enterprises?"

He shook his head.

"I thought so." She looked away and sighed. "My contract has an exclusivity clause that states that if the project is not under Li Enterprises I can't take it."

"I don't trust anyone Sakura. You know this, and my sister doesn't have your experience to deal with it."

She looked back at him and smiled. "You'd be surprise. Feimei has actually gotten really good since she started. She has her own way of doing things and her own ideas to bring everything together. Plus, she separated herself from the family business which is something you're trying to do as well. I think she could be exactly what you're looking for right now."

He sighed and closed his eyes again to rest. "I'll think about it."

~ o ~

The next morning, Eriol walked downstairs to the breakfast buffet after taking a shower in his room. They had been following Tan's schedule since they started staying in the hotel to help them get used to the timing for the start of the tournament next week. It wasn't as strict as it would be when the tournament started but each player was trying to keep up with the schedule to get used to it. He looked around his teammates and finally found Kyu sitting down in one of the corner tables. He took his plate, filled it up with his breakfast, and then walked over.

"Hey man!" he said before sitting down in front of him.

"Hey!" Kyu greeted and took a sip of his orange juice.

"Are you okay?" Eriol asked.

Kyu looked at him curiously taking a bite of his toast and answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Yeah. Why?"

"I heard about Meiling and a questionable proposal?" Eriol started to butter his toast as he waited for Kyu's answer.

Kyu rolled his eyes at him. "No offense man but I don't want to talk about your cousin right now."

Eriol nodded. "Fine, I just want you to know I'm here for you if you need to talk."

Kyu shook his head. "Not right now. You would think this should affect me more than it is affecting me but it isn't. My main focus is the tournament. I want that trophy Eriol. Meiling and I will eventually fight about this but I'm putting it off until after the tournament. My mind is set. So whatever it is you're thinking, I'm not talking about it till after the tournament."

Eriol nodded seeing the logic behind his reasoning. He smiled and started to eat his breakfast still not understanding how these two could have lasted this long. It had been a weird relationship since they started dating. Tomoyo had been right. They had the same weird process for every decision they would have to make as a couple. At first one of them would throw the idea, the other one would fight about it, then after analyzing it and giving it a couple of circles around in their heads one of them would eventually give up and let the other one win.

It was the weirdest thing for Eriol. He still didn't know if either one of them was conscious about it at all but it made him laugh inside. He found it comical, even if it shouldn't, to see them go over the same process over and over again. And it wasn't just on important things only, even for stupid decisions like going out to see a movie or not.

As he took his next bite on his toast, he smiled internally thinking on how lucky he was to have found someone as Tomoyo. If someone were to ask him, he wouldn't be able to tell which of the girls was less complicating… Sakura or Meiling. Without a doubt, out of the family he had been the luckiest one.

~ o ~

Suri walked inside of the hotel and went straight to the restaurant. She had called Mark to meet up in here after their morning practice. It wasn't something she would usually do but since she had been away for most of the week they agreed on seeing each other for just today. As she looked around the restaurant, she spotted him in one of the corner tables and walked straight to him.

"Twenty five messages Mr. Yue… I'm impressed." She said sitting down in front of him.

He sheepishly smiled and took a sip of his orange juice before replying, "I can explain. At first I wasn't sure of what to write. Then I just couldn't make up my mind. But thanks for texting me when you arrived."

"Aw, did you miss me that much?" she sarcastically said.

He stared at her before smiling and in a more serious tone saying, "I actually did."

Her smile suddenly started to leave and in just seconds she started feeling more nervous than she had in a long time. "Do you mean that?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

"I missed you to." She smiled but quickly hid it behind her next words. "Well, just a little. It wasn't like it was a big deal or anything."

He smiled but nonetheless nodded. "Hey, a little goes a long way, right? I wanted to say I won't be able to see you after today until the tournament it's over. Coach is having the team eat together in the same table and at the same hour. You know, kind of like a military regimen."

She chuckled at his way of saying it and nodded. "Well, we can always talk on the phone or is that prohibited as well for you guys?"

He shook his head. "No. We can, just in our rooms once everything is over."

She nodded. "Alright."

"Mark!" Kuy loudly called from the restaurant door. "Are you done yet? We need to watch film."

He looked at the door and nodded. With a napkin he cleaned his lips before getting up from the table and looking at Suri. "Well, I guess I'll see you when this is all over." He smiled, turned around, and walked away.

Suri watched from her seat the entire scene unfold before her eyes. What the heck had just happened? I mean, he did want to see her this morning. He said he had missed her when she was away. Then suddenly he walked away and left with just a _'see you when this is over.'_ What kind of a cold goodbye or see you later was this? She scoffed. Men could be so insensitive sometimes. She furiously grabbed her purse and walked out of the restaurant.

The drive to her office was faster than usual. Her mood no doubt had something to do with that. She went straight to Sakura's office and without a second thought opened the door and walked in.

Sakura looked up from her iPad curiously at her assistant barging into her office and closing the door afterwards.

"How did you do it?" she quickly asked.

There was no greeting, no 'Hello, I'm back from my trip', or even a good morning which made Sakura question her assistant's sanity for the first time in her life. She softly put her iPad down and turned her attention towards her. "Do what?"

"Catch someone like Li Syaoran."

Sakura stared at her before sighing and going back to her iPad restraining herself from answering in an unprofessional way. "Do you like him?"

"No! I said catch someone like him." Suri said before starting to pace around Sakura's office babbling about how soccer players were so dim witted. "I mean, they're so one minded, can't catch a signal not even if their life depended on it. I mean, who talks with someone for a couple months and doesn't see that the other person is interested as well? Is it truly that hard to find out? I mean, not even hold hands. Oh, forget the hands, not even breakfast! What the heck?" She stopped for a second to look at Sakura. "One second is 'I want to see you,' then the other is 'See you when this is over.' Is it truly this hard?"

Yep, Suri had lost it. Sakura simply let her vent before looking up from her iPad again. "Just out of curiosity, who's the guy?"

Suri looked away and lowly said, "Mark."

Sakura raised an eyebrow, "Yue?"

"Yes!" Suri quickly answered before sitting in one of Sakura's chairs. "How did you do it?"

"Suri, Syaoran is very different than Mark." Sakura carefully said as to not get her assistant more riled up than she already was. "But, have you tried telling him?"

"I insinuated. I thought the guy would get a clue when I wrote to him from the airport but he didn't."

Sakura shook her head. "Then, stop giving him clues and tell him how you feel."

Suri stared at her before carefully asking the real question that had been bothering her since she found out Sakura had dated Li. "Is it worth it? You know, to date a soccer player? I mean, you know about the whole "press" thing, they always have like news that shows them as womanizers or cheaters or something…"

Sakura stared at her before replying. "Suri, I can't tell you whether you should date Mark or not. Dating a soccer player is not any different than dating any other man in this world. Soccer is just their profession. I guess, if you like the guy that much, just tell him and see where it goes."

Suri took a deep breath before nodding. "I guess you're right. I'm just a little scared of this whole thing."

Sakura calmly smiled. "If it helps, I can ask one of the guys about him."

"Li?" Suri alarmed asked. "Please don't. Guys are worst than woman when talking to each other."

Sakura curiously looked at her after her last comment but refrain from saying anything. It was obvious her assistant had been hysterical about this whole thing with Mark. Worst part was Sakura had actually met Mark before. If her memory served her right, the guy was completely clueless when it came to women. He would not be able to see any signs unless they were spelled in front of him. Nonetheless, she kept staring at her assistant in silence.

"I guess I can just take your advice and tell him. How is Li by the way? Will he be able to play?"

"He's doing better. We'll see later about playing time."

Suri nodded and stood up. "Thanks for the advice."

"Anytime." Sakura simply answered as she watched her assistant walked out the door. She could laugh about this whole thing to herself. It was actually quite interesting in a comical way to think about Suri who has always been a little shy about certain things pursuing the most clueless guy on the soccer team.

But something about this whole conversation with her assistant did stay in Sakura's mind. Her question, 'Was it worth it?' Back then, she loved everything about Syaoran. Their walks, their games, their hanging out on the couch watching movies or even doing nothing at all, she had loved it all. Their relationship had never been perfect, but it had been strong. Even to this day, thoughts of her past relationship with him were still strong. And yet, had this all been worth it?

~ o ~

Syaoran scribbled something in his notebook as he intently watched a soccer game on his TV. After talking with Sakura on the park last night, he received a visit from Tan this morning to check on his rehab status although, if you asked him, Tan was happier to see him in bed than worried for his rehab. With him, he brought a couple of DVD's with soccer games saying it was for him to analyze them and write a report on each team instead of staying all day bored in his room. He didn't have to guess where the comment had come from but nonetheless was grateful that at least he could help his team this way while recuperating from his injury.

He put the game on pause to take a break and sighed. Two full pages were already written from the same team and he still hadn't finished watching the first game. He took a sip of his water bottle and took a deep breath. Something had been bothering him for quite a while now… Sakura's engagement with Jun.

He had started suspecting from the moment Sakura made the pool proposal but didn't say anything. Last night only made him question more her engagement with Jun. She wasn't wearing a ring. For the past couple of days since the proposal he still hadn't seen a ring in her finger. It couldn't be a coincidence. Why would a woman get engaged and not carry an engagement ring? On the news, it had been clear Jun gave her a ring. He saw it as the stupid press zoomed in on the box. And yet he still hadn't seen it. Something was off.

He sighed again and took another sip of his water bottle before pressing play on his TV control. He needed to focus on the tournament. In one more week, his team would start facing off Turkey and they needed to be prepared. He scribbled something else in his notebook before his room door opened.

Sakura smiled at him and closed the door. She could see his coach had helped with the whole boring problem. "I see you're not bored anymore." she said while walking towards his bathroom.

He shook his head and smile. "Yeah, all thanks to you."

She smirked. "You need to let me know off hand you're going to say that so I may record it and hold it against you one day."

He scoffed but kept watching his TV and writing down the notes.

After finding the lotion, she walked out of the bathroom and sat at the end of his bed as usual so she could give him the massage. She took his ankle and placed the lotion before starting to rub it.

"Will I ever get to see his ring at all?" Syaoran asked her as he watched her hands move smoothly through his ankle.

"You know I don't like to dirty my things." She quickly said without giving it too much thought about it.

He stared at her. "Doesn't he gets mad? I'd be furious."

"He's been furious about a lot of things and that still hasn't stop me from doing what I believe."

Still not satisfied with her answer, he went back to watching the game to try to keep his mind off of it, then suddenly pause it again and stared at her as she kept massaging his ankle. "I would also have a fit if I knew my girlfriend spent the night at her ex-boyfriend's room."

She sighed and looked at him. "Will you drop it or are you trying to find a way for me not to do this anymore?"

He sternly looked at her. "I will not drop it. Are you still with him?"

She shook her head and dried her hands with the towel. "That's it, I'm done then."

She put his leg back down to his bed and took the towel back to his bathroom before opening his room door. She was about to leave but he walked behind her and closed the door. He left his arm on the door impeding her from opening it. The close proximity made her insides tremble with anxiety. He was just too close for her. She tiredly sighed and rolled her eyes. "Syaoran,"

"I want a kiss as my wish."

"What?"

"I want a kiss." He said still from behind her. He was always so demanding when he wanted something.

She kept staring at the closed door in front of her. "Why now?"

"Because I won it fair and square. Part of the agreement was for it to be my choice, remember?"

Not finding a way out of this one, she sighed and turned towards him. "Fine."

The anxiety of the moment was killing her as she kept trying to find a way out but found none. She stared at his chest to avoid his gaze. It was difficult enough to hold on without looking at his eyes, she was sure that after looking at them she would definitely be lost. As she felt his other hand start caressing her face she closed her eyes.

"I've been waiting a long time for this moment." He lowly said to her.

"Just take your kiss."

The nervousness he found in her voice made him smile. He took his time caressing her face as she made the mistake of opening her eyes which he gladly took notice of. He raised her chin and made her look at him. She could see the ferocity of the moment in his eyes. The longing, the wanting, she could see all with one look as his eyes dropped towards her lips and he cupped her face in his hands and softly kissed her. It started slow as he took his time to taste her lips. She was melting by the soft seduction of his lips on hers. He felt her hands come up to softly grab his as she granted permission to deepen the kiss. She felt herself moaning into the kiss and she felt him respond more demanding.

He kissed her senseless until the kiss stopped and they were both out of breath. Syaoran kept his forehead against hers and smiled.

"This doesn't change anything." She whispered still trembling from the intensity of the moment.

"It does to me." He touched her lower lip with his thumb, "You wouldn't have let me kiss you if you were still with him."

The moment she heard his words, she realized her mistake. When she was done catching her breath, she came back to her senses and closed her eyes. "I can't do this again." She opened them and found the strength to look at his. "I'm not going through this again." She got out of his hold and walked towards the other side of the room regretfully closing her eyes and thinking on how to approach this.

He followed her with his eyes and sighed, "So, we're finally talking."

She turned and looked at him, "I loved you back then. I know I did, but you made it very clear to me what I was to you."

"That's not true. I loved you too, but I was more realistic about it. Neither of us had time for each other back then."

"And what's so different now Syaoran? Do you think we have time now?"

He intently stared at her. He was not backing out this and less now that he had just confirmed her breakup with Jun. "You found time to be with that idiot for two years, I'm sure you can find time to be with me as well."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh please... Don't bring Jun into this."

"Why not?" he asked.

"He's not even here anymore Syaoran!"

"I'm not talking about him, I'm talking about us. Why not?"

She strongly stared at him. She wanted to say yes, oh how badly she wanted to say yes. "We talked Syaoran. Back then we talked and to this day it's still hurts. Us getting married first..." she sadly smiled. "We would surprise everyone with the news. And you would play pro, and I would follow you wherever you wanted to play. I wanted that. I truly imagined myself doing that with you. But I can't anymore. I won't leave your father's company, and you'll be off in a couple of months."

He shook his head not believing her. "I love you. You know I do."

"I heard that too. Before breaking up, you used to say it almost every day. And still this is where your so called love brought us."

He cursed her stubbornness as he stared at her. "You want to know what's different… I didn't know what it was to live without you back then. I didn't know it would hurt that bad. I didn't know I would regret my stupid decision until I found you again. Now I do."

"It's too late now."

"You can't lie to me anymore Sakura. Your words lost credibility the moment I kissed you. I still love you and I know you still feel something for me."

She took a deep breath. "The answer is still no."

"Sakura,"

"Do you need another reason?"

He stared at her.

"You'd just made me what I was to you back then... An obstacle."

He narrowed his eyes and tried to control the anger he started feeling inside. "How can you say that?"

She could feel the fury and frustration behind his question, "How can I not? It was the real reason why we both broke up. You never loved me enough and I became to you the obstacle that wouldn't let you reach your dreams."

He sighed and painfully closed his eyes before asking, "How do I fix this? Tell me what do you want me to do to fix this? I already told you it was a mistake when I did it but you're still like this. What can I do to prove that I've changed Sakura?"

"Let me go. Going our separate ways is what's best for both of us Syaoran."

Letting her go? The word furious was not enough to begin describing how he was feeling right now. He closed his eyes in frustration and opened the door for her. "You don't mean that. But if that's what you want then so be it."

She wanted to stay. She wanted to hold him like she did the first night he was here after his injury and console him like she had. But things were different. She had to hurt him to keep him focused. This was the only way they could still be at each other's side for now.

She walked towards the door but before leaving she turned towards him. "You shouldn't be thinking about me right now. Your major concern should be towards your recuperation."

He could've said many things to that but instead he stayed silenced. Anger had never been a friend of his. Another lesson learned with time. Nothing said in anger would help him in any situation and much less with her. So he waited for her to be out of his room before closing the door.

**Author's Note**: First of all I want to thank Liz for the small tips on these chapters. It's not easy to proofread your own work. Sometimes I even find it hard to catch my own mistakes and you have already helped me in two of my chapters. So thank you. I really appreciate it. As for the rest of my reviewers I thank you for letting me know what you think of this story. I find it that with time it has gotten better and reading your reviews lets me know that you like this story. So, here's chapter 12. I hope you guys enjoy it as well and as always let me know what you think of it. Also, I hope this New Year is full of many good blessings for everyone!


	13. Chapter 13 - Confined Feelings

"_Sometimes the bad things that happen in our lives put us directly on the path to the best things that will ever happen to us." – Brigitte_

**Chapter 13**

"**Confined Feelings"**

She had read not too long ago that many things could influence an athlete's career. Having a relationship was one of them. She wasn't too certain when it had started for him, but she knew quite well when it had started for her. The silence was soothing as she had arrived early in the morning to her office and reflected on everything that had transpired since that night. For a moment she had tasted passion behind his kiss, later she felt a regretful feeling and a restless night that was followed by a painful morning. His kiss had been her downfall that night and her words had been her undoing. She was conscious everything had been her fault but she had never expected it to hurt this way.

~ o ~

Sleepless… Once again the night had been restless for him. He hadn't been able to shut an eye at all after Sakura's answer. He sat down on his bed and putting his hands on his knees sighed. He got up and walked all the way to his door but didn't find the strength to open the door knob.

_"Let me go. Going our separate ways is what's best for both of us Syaoran."_

Let her go? How could she say that? Focus on his recuperation… how could she ask this of him when all he could think of was her? He reclined his forehead against the door and sighed again. He needed to think about this. Going after her right now would only push her away. He needed to find a way of turning her mind around. After that kiss two days ago there was no doubt in his mind… she still had feelings for him.

As a soccer player he was used to analyzing the plays to counterattack an opponent. In this case, he needed to find the drive behind her game play to be able to turn her game against her. He just needed to know what the real reason behind her decision was.

'Let her go…' He turned around and walked back to his bed. He lay back in his bed and thought about the morning after the kiss. Anger had never been a good companion to him and that morning had not been any different.

_Two days ago…_

_She tossed and tossed around her bed without been able to sleep the entire night. That kiss had done it for her. His kisses had always been her weakness. He had laid his trap and she had easily fallen into it. _

"_You wouldn't have let me kiss you if you were still with him."_

_Her relationship with Jun had been the only thing holding him back from trying to go after her before. She had suspected this since the very first day she had seen him once again. All her steps had been falling into place till that kiss happened last night. Now, not only was he aware that she had broken up with Jun, but he also knew she still had feelings for him. She was certain he wouldn't stop going after her now. And to be perfectly honest, she wasn't too sure she would be able to keep him out for too long either. In fact, after last night's kiss she wasn't even sure she wanted to. Even his kisses were better than she remembered, how was she supposed to keep him focused now? How was SHE supposed to focus? _

_She got up from her bed and prepared to go to work. Although the sun wasn't out yet, today would be a good day to go early into her office. She needed to think. She agreed on checking up on him as usual before his morning rehab. It had already become a routine even if after last night their relationship could turn a little awkward._

_As she walked through the hallway towards his room, she heard laughter coming from it. She slowly opened the door to find Katherine laughing at something he had just whispered to her ear. Anger rose to her mind as she confidently finished opening the door to reveal her presence. She first looked sternly at Katherine before turning her sight towards him. "What is she doing here?" she asked her obvious distaste for the woman evident in her tone._

"_I'm his guest." She quickly replied in a flirty way before turning towards him. "Isn't that right Syaoran?"_

_He looked at her smiling as well while caressing her face. Then he turned to look at Sakura at the door and replied, "She is."_

_Sakura took a deep breath trying to control her anger. Without taking her sight away from Syaoran she asked, "Can I speak to you alone?" putting emphasis on the last word._

"_That is such a disrespectful thing to say in front of a guest. Especially since I was directly invited by Syaoran himself." Katherine said while touching Syaoran's chest with her finger._

_Sakura wanted to strangulate the woman. She looked away and walked towards the other side of the room before saying in a serious tone, "I won't ask again Xiaolang."_

_He stared at Sakura. The change in name was an obvious indication that her tolerance was bordering her limits. It was needless to say that she was pissed. He sighed as if it wasn't a big deal and turned towards Katherine, "can you give us a couple of minutes, doll?"_

_Katherine looked back at him surprised at his request but smiled once again in a flirty way and nodded replying, "I'll be counting the seconds."_

_He chuckled watching her getting out of his bed and walking towards the door._

_Sakura hadn't missed anything that had just happened. She waited patiently for the woman to be out the door before closing it and looking back at Syaoran. "What the heck do you think you're doing?"_

"_What do you mean? Just because I injured my ankle doesn't mean I can't receive any visitors."_

"_I thought we had resolved your issues of being bored. Didn't we?" _

"_This has nothing to do with being bored. She wanted to know how I was and I wanted to have some company. What's so wrong about that?"_

_She scoffed. "Oh please, you're not that gullible. She's a freaking reporter!"_

"_She's a woman. I wanted to have some company. What's so wrong with that? As far as I know, last night this is what you wanted. This is me moving on just like you asked me to."_

_She took a deep breath realizing what he was doing before slowly nodding. "Do whatever you like." She turned around and walked out the door. She found the reporter happily waiting outside but didn't even spare her a second of her time. She kept walking till she was out the door and on her way to her office._

_Syaoran got up from his bed and walked all the way to the door. He was expecting to find Katherine only but saw that she wasn't alone. Not anymore as his mother stood on the other side of the hallway. _

_Yelan walked all the way from the other side until she was in front of his room. The first thing she took notice of was his supposed friend before she looked at him. "Son! I didn't know we had visitors." She said as she looked at Katherine up and down before smiling._

_Katherine smiled and chuckled while jumping ahead to introduce herself. "I'm Katherine, a friend of your son. It's very nice to meet you." She said while giving Yelan a little bow to show her respect._

"_Oh! A pleasure indeed." Yelan sarcastically exclaimed as she raised a brow before looking at her son again._

_Syaoran looked away knowing his mother probably saw right through him. He didn't need to see her face to know she didn't approve of Katherine at all. Her complete disapproval could be heard in her sarcastic voice as she uttered those words. _

_Yelan knowingly smiled seeing her son's behavior. "Your rehab trainer has arrived." She turned her sight to look at the girl once more and asked, "Katherine was it?" After Katherine nodded at her question, she faked a smile and said, "We are just about to have breakfast. I would like for you to join us while my son do his rehab."_

"_Oh." Katherine looked at Syaoran to see what she should say._

_Seeing this, Yelan immediately stepped in before her son could say anything on the matter. "After all any friend of Syaoran knows he is very devoted to his playing. We women don't find any fun in watching a guy doing his rehab. Socializing and having breakfast at the table would be a lot more fun. Wouldn't you agree? Also, his sisters might want to know you as well. It's a rare occasion when my son brings someone into this house."_

"_Mother…" Syaoran warningly said to his mother._

"_Oh, sweetie! Sorry but you do know it's true." Yelan looked at the girl again and said, "Now come! Everyone is already waiting at the table."_

_He watched as his mother took Katherine away before sighing and getting back to his room. She was really something else. He prepared himself to do his first rehab of the day._

~ o ~

Sakura started preparing her morning coffee as usual only this time it felt different than any other day. She hadn't been able to get that morning off her head. Jealousy was a feeling she thought she had left far away with her past and yet since that morning she still couldn't shake the feeling away. The thought of losing him revived the pain she felt that awful day seven years ago.

It wasn't just the way he was with her it was the feelings that warmed her heart whenever he was near. The calmness his words brought her, the smile that always appeared on her face after reading his words or even the warmness of listening to his voice. That feeling of belonging, of knowing this was right appeared every time she was near him. It was just perfect.

This was the reason she had wanted to run as far away from him as she could when they broke up. But fate always found a way of laughing in her face. Having to work with him only brought him once more into her life. And even as she had tried to keep him away, there was something that always pulled her back towards him. In the end, the more time she spent with him the weaker she felt.

She enjoyed the fresh smell of just brewed coffee before taking a sip of it and walking back to her desk. Her office had been the only solitude place that shared her fears. It had become the only place that could hide her hurt heart as she kept trying to fight him off.

'At least he was wearing a shirt that morning.' She thought. That was proof enough to her that nothing serious truly happened.

She opened her last drawer and took out a frame with a picture. The memory came back to her as if it was just happening in front of her eyes. Syaoran had invited her to a town festival. They had decided to go steady a couple of days before this event. This had been one of their first official dates as a couple.

It was one of the coldest winters that had ever transpired on Japan. The people that had organized this festival were able to get an ice rink in the middle of the park. She remembered the ice rink was full of people. It was the latest attraction and the one that brought most people out to the festival. Their friends tagged along with them on this night. They had decided to try the ice rink like everyone else. As she gave the first couple of steps on the rink she fell down. It kept happening repeatedly until finally Syaoran stopped laughing and tried to help her.

Tomoyo, who had been watching the entire thing, watched as Syaoran helped Sakura and took out her camera. In an instant, she was able to catch a natural moment between the two of them. Sakura had been laughing while looking at an amused Syaoran who in turn was trying to teach her how to not fall on the ice.

She kept watching the picture and sighed. When had everything started going downhill? Their relationship had been beautiful from the very beginning. Even with their ups and downs their relationship had been solid. She remembered the moment she landed in China not even his sister's believed her when she told them of the news.

~ o ~

From the moment he laid eyes on Yelan he knew she was not like the rest of the girls he had met. She always had something that kept him turning back towards her. There hadn't been a day in their lives where he could say he got bored of her. Life with her had been like a chessboard and her hand always enticed him to play her game. He always found something interesting in her conniving way of moving her pieces. It kept him entertained till the end where he would always figure out a way to turn the game to his favor. He chuckled as he kept hearing her ranting. Apparently his only son had brought home a girl.

"I'm telling you Xian, I didn't like that girl at all. I could smell her interest in money from thousands of miles away." She narrowed her eyes at the memory as she paced in front of her husband. "And the nerve of her to present herself in front of me as if she was something more with Syaoran. I'm telling you, I don't know what's wrong with this boy."

He chuckled at his wife's words. "We didn't raise a dumb kid love, let Syaoran handle this."

Yelan got a little bothered at her husband's lack of concern for their son. She stopped and looked at him. "Even Sakura left the house. I asked Wei and the girl arrived very early in the morning." She sighed. "Maybe I should have one of my friends introduce him to their daughters. I'm most certain that any of their daughters would be a better match than that girl."

"I don't think presenting him to other woman is the solution, love. I mean, from what I hear our son has many alternatives in that department." Xian said still amused with his wife's alternative to solving the problem.

"Anyone would be better than that girl Xian! I'm telling you! You didn't see what I had to put up with. You weren't even there at breakfast to hear her talk about herself. The nerve I tell you. Such egocentric presumed little girl."

Xian heard his wife. He raised his brow a little after hearing her. "I remember the time when you asked me for some space. Were you able to forget me?"

She didn't know why her husband asked that question but still she chuckled while confidently walking towards him. Putting her arms around his neck she smiled and said, "I still pity all the girls that tried to get you during that time you know..."

Xian smiled at her. "None of them would've been able to keep my interest in them."

Yelan smiled. "If I do remember correctly, there was some competition."

"Competition?" He scoffed and chuckled kissing her neck before saying to her ear, "Don't make me laugh love. The poor girls didn't stand a chance against you. For our son, is the same with Sakura."

She separated herself a little to be able to look at him. "Do you honestly think she won't ask him to stay? And respond honestly Xian… I know you are very fond of her."

Xian smiled at his wife. He kissed her softly before saying, "In my opinion, and this is of course speaking honestly as you want me to."

She playfully smacked his chest. "Don't mock me."

He chuckled while hugging her closer to him. "I think she wouldn't allow him to stay."

Yelan turned away for a second and analyzed his words before looking at him again and asking, "On what are you basing your opinion? Do you know something that I don't know? Has she spoken to you?"

He chuckled at his wife's insistence and shook his head. "She hasn't said anything but when I asked her to be on top of his recuperation she could've found many excuses to say no and I would have to oblige with her. What I asked is way out of what she professionally does for the company and yet she did it. My guess is she understands how much this means to him."

Yelan slowly nodded before quickly kissing her husband once more. "I got to go. I need to speak with Xiefa about a couple of things. The rest of the teams are arriving this week, as you know."

He chuckled and nodded letting his wife go. He watched her walking out of his office and sighed putting his hands on his pockets. Looking at the closed door he already knew she would probably start looking for ways of getting rid of the poor girl Syaoran had brought home. The mere thought made him shake his head. When his wife wanted something, there was no one who could stop her.

~ o ~

"_Ms. Kinomoto thank you for the confidence you have in us."_

"No, thank you for always been responsible and following my exact instructions for delivery. I know sometimes my wishes come as customized as they could ever be yet you always find a way of pleasing me."

"_As always, the pleasure is all ours. I hope in the future we can continue doing business with you." _

She hung up the phone and looked up to see her assistant coming in with some lunch boxes on hand. "That was Mr. Oshi. The plates have been delivered for Friday's welcome dinner at the hotel. I need to go over and check them."

Suri nodded. "Well, not before you have lunch. Don't think I didn't notice that you didn't have any breakfast this morning."

Sakura raised her brow. "Have you been checking me like a mother?"

Suri chuckled. "No. But years of been your assistant have shown me that whenever you are here early in the morning a small plastic bag is always on your trash can whenever you have breakfast. This morning I didn't see one."

Sakura scoffed but looked at the boxes in her hands. "What did you get?"

"Mongolian Beef or Sesame Chicken? They both have brown rice so which one do you prefer today?" Suri asked ignoring Sakura's unpleasant look after finding out she had known about her not having breakfast.

"Mongolian Beef." Sakura answered.

Suri nodded while putting the small box on her coffee table.

Sakura got out of her desk and walked towards her couch. She sat down, picked the box, and started eating with her chopsticks. "This hasn't been my only day skipping breakfast, you know..."

"You're right! To be perfectly honest you've skipped breakfast for the last three days."

Sakura rolled her eyes at her assistant's accuracy. "I guess the question is, why the lunch today then?"

Suri smiled and waited to swallow before answering, "I wanted to thank you for your advice last time. It worked."

Sakura stopped eating and looked at her. "You spoke to Yue then?"

Suri happily nodded. "Well, not in person as his team won't allow him visitors until the end of the tournament. But, we talked on the phone and it so happens that he feels the same way. So, we are officially dating without having our first date yet."

Sakura smiled and nodded. "Good. I'm really happy for you. He's a good guy."

Suri blushed while smiling and looking away. "Thanks!" she said before continuing eating.

Sakura stared at her. She was really glad that her advice had helped her but seeing Suri as she talked about it made her think of him again. Suddenly she wasn't so hungry anymore. She slowly put her food down at the table.

"What's the matter? You can't be full already. You've barely eaten anything."

Sakura sighed and got up from the table. "It's the stress of Friday's event. Don't worry about it. After Friday my stomach will probably be back to normal but thanks for lunch."

Suri watched as her boss picked a folder from her desk and walked out of her office. In all her time working for Sakura, she had never seen her like this. Worriedly she looked at her side to Sakura's lunch box. If she had taken three bites out of it was a lot. Since she started working in this company, events came and go in a blink of an eye. Year after year they organized lots of events. Whether they were big or small, stress was always evident in their line of work. And yet, she had never seen Sakura not once letting stress affect her.

Sighing, Suri took her lunch box and closed it. She got up from the table and put it on her desk. Opening her first drawer, she took out a sticky notepad and wrote her a note.

_Take it for dinner!_

After finishing, she took the page out and placed it on top of the box. As she put everything back where she found it, she noticed her last drawer was a little opened. She pulled the drawer out a little more and found a small picture frame faced down. Curiously, she slowly picked it up, turned it around, and gasped!

~ o ~

"Round it up!" the coach screamed from the corner of the field.

The entire team started jogging towards their coach after hearing him calling it a day. It was one of their last practices before the beginning of the tournament and for the first time since Syaoran's injury Kyu could see some type of improvement. Syaoran's loss had been hard for all of them but especially to all the guys who grew up with him. From the very early years when they used to play for the junior national team Syaoran had become some sort of a leader to all of them. Changing their game strategy to implement one without him was harder to achieve than to just plan it.

"Good practice today guys. We're truly getting the plays well, I like that. Now, Tan has the scouting report on Portugal." He said while Tan started giving the reports to the guys. "They are a good rival so we need to study these reports as much as we can so we can execute the right plays when we play the match. Our last practice before facing Portugal is tomorrow night so please study these reports today so we can work on our plays tomorrow."

Eriol looked at the report once it reached his hands. It was all marked with notes here and there which made him look at Tan questionably and ask, "You did these?"

"Does it matter who did them? They are our notes. Work on them in your room before watching film." Tan replied still handing the reports to the rest of the guys.

"They look like Syaoran's notes with extra writings all over the place." Eriol kept looking at the sheet in his hands. They definitely looked like Syaoran's with a bunch of arrows and circles adorning what he guessed were the other team's most important plays.

Kyu received his paper and also noticed the difference. "You're right. These are Syaoran's."

Their coach nodded. "Syaoran helped with the scouting report."

Kyu smirked. "Helped? I'd say he did your job Tan."

"Enough!" their coach replied. "The important thing is that you study your opponent's plays and analyze their weakness when we watch film tonight. Now, you have half an hour to shower before we head over to the hotel." Suddenly his phone started ringing. "Starting now." He said before leaving the group to answer his phone.

Eriol walked besides Kyu and sighed. "I'm not sure half a day will be enough to analyze Syaoran's notes."

Kyu chuckled. "I know what you mean. There are more notes than blank spaces in the sheet."

They entered the locker room and put the scouting report away before getting a shower. After getting out, they both got dressed and went straight to the bus. They sat right next to each other and started going over the scouting report on their way to the hotel.

Kyu felt his phone vibrate and looked at the caller id. After finding out it was Meiling he simply ignored the call and kept going over the report.

The gesture didn't go unnoticed by Eriol who looked at Kyu before asking, "Aren't you going to take that?"

Kyu shook his head. "No. I'm studying Syaoran's report for the tournament. I'll call her later."

Eriol stared at him before going back to the report as well. In any other occasion he would've just not minded his answer and simply let it go but he could sense something more was going on here than what Kyu had told him. There were so many things going on that he wasn't even sure if what Kyu had said to him before could even be done. I mean, what man could ever have a girlfriend and be able to shutdown his feelings towards her completely and at the same time avoid the change to influence in his own life? "I thought you said you wouldn't let this affect you."

"Is not." He simply said without taking his eyes off the report.

Eriol sighed. Their first game was in two days and they had to be prepared. As they reached the hotel, Eriol waited for the rest of the guys to be out of the bus before reaching for his bag in the upper compartment. After putting it over his shoulder, he sternly looked at Kyu. "I'm only going to say this once. Talk to Meiling before Portugal's game."

Kyu sighed. "That's none of your business Eriol. Stay out of this."

Eriol got Kyu's bag from the compartment as well and handed it to him. "You're wrong. Perhaps before it wasn't my business but you made it my business the moment you lied to me. This is affecting you and we don't have the luxury of losing any more players. Not physically and much less mentally. We all need to be prepared if we want to win this tournament. So talk to her before the game and fix whatever you need to sort out."

Kyu sighed but nodded. "I'll call her after film."

"Kyu-"

"I will. Now let's go. I don't want to be late." Kyu said following Eriol out of the bus and into the hotel.

~ o ~

Syaoran walked inside the pool making small jumps after every two steps. His ankle had gotten a lot better by now. He was already walking normal and started doing weight training a little sooner than scheduled. Finally yesterday the doctor had authorized him to start jogging but with precautions. His rehab trainer was still monitoring everything he did especially with the weights per Sakura's instructions. But to him that wasn't enough.

Doing his last rep, he got out of the water and walked over to his trainer. "I want to jog."

"Syaoran, I already told you per the schedule you're not supposed to jog today. It's supposed to be tomorrow. You did weights today aside from pool training." His trainer tried to explain.

He was getting a little anxious by the minute. "What's a couple of hours sooner going to do? Nothing. Besides I feel fine."

"I can't allow you to do that. Your agent has agreed on following the schedule. The weights were authorized by your doctor for every other day and the jogging only the days you didn't do weights for now."

"Where's Sakura?" he asked his agent as he saw him walking towards them. He wanted to start training full already. He wanted to start running every day as he used to. He wanted to speed up his recovery since he thought he could do that.

Choi came back from outside the pool area and walked over to where the two of them were having this little quarrel. "I've tried contacting her for the fourth time and she's not answering her phone."

The trainer stepped in again and tried to find another solution to his request. "Perhaps if we tell your doctor you'll be taping your ankle so that at least you have protection when running…" the trainer started suggesting.

"I'm not taping my ankle just to jog." Syaoran stubbornly replied.

"Syaoran is just a matter of precaution." Choi added.

He quickly looked at Choi. "I said I will not tape my ankle just to jog."

"With all due respect, what are you intending to do then? You already know you can't over do your rehab." the rehab trainer dared to ask.

Syaoran's stare was enough to answer his question. He was beyond pissed by now. "Get Sakura on the phone."

"I just told you she's not answering."

"Then call my sister and get her on the phone!" he loudly and angrily snapped at his agent.

"There's no need." Sakura, who had just entered the pool room, calmly said. She had seen the entire scene in front of her before finally deciding to interfere. It was her first time seen him again since that morning but she had decided to set aside her personal feelings when it came to his rehab.

Seeing Sakura approaching, he quickly and directly said, "I want to run today."

She heard him but didn't mind as she walked over to his trainer. "Let me see today's chart."

His trainer sighed and nodded while handing her the clipboard. "I suggested that perhaps some protection might help with the work overload he wants to put on his ankle. He has put quite some pressure on it today because of the weights."

She kept inspecting the chart and his progress in silence.

"When have you heard of a soccer player needing to tape his ankle for a small jog?" Syaoran muttered from the side.

Sakura finished inspecting the chart before looking at Syaoran. "Are you done complaining?"

He simply stared at her before quietly turning his sight away.

Sakura nodded. "Suit up then."

"Ms Kinomoto, I must interfere with your decision. His schedule says-"

She interrupted his trainer before he could finish. "I'm aware of what it says. I just read it." She looked at Syaoran before saying, "You want to run? Fine, we'll run but on my terms."

He stared at her. The last time terms where placed by her the outcome hadn't been too good for him as he spent the next day in complete pain because of her little bet. "What are your terms?"

"We go on my pace. Whenever I say stop, you stop without complaining."

"Deal." He quickly said before walking inside the house to suit up for running.

"Ms. Kinomoto, we haven't been able to speak with the doctor about this." Choi said.

She sighed. "I already have. He said that as long as he feels comfortable in doing it and we don't notice any type of limping then is fine. But we do need to keep supervision with him at all times to make sure he won't over do it so I'll be running with him."

Choi stared at her before nodding. "Just to let you know, he's been growing impatient. I've never seen him like this before."

"It's because the tournament is around the corner. If his jogging goes well, he could probably start playing or at least practicing by next week."

"Well, that all depends on what his doctor says." The trainer said.

Sakura nodded. "True! The last call is his, but I have a hunch my prediction is not that far off. " She gave the chart back to his trainer. "We will run around his patio area. The concrete won't be any good for him so watch the clock and note anything that happens out of normal jogging."

His trainer nodded while walking with her and Choi towards the house.

"I'll go change and meet outside once I'm done." She said.

"Very well." Choi said. He opened the door for her and then walked in after her.

~ o ~

She suit up and tied her tennis shoes. Since she hadn't been able to have her small jog in the morning, it was nice she could at least do a little exercise in the afternoon. After putting her hair up in a pony tail, she walked towards the window. Memories of them running in the past together came back to her.

_An hour marked the running clock which indicated that it was finally the moment to stop. Out of breath, she stopped and started walking at her boyfriend's side. "You know, if you keep this up I may be able to play with you on the soccer team."_

"_Aw come on, is that complain I hear?" he chuckled._

"_I ran with you fifteen more minutes than I usually do. I think I deserve the right to complain at least a bit."_

_He smiled at her before putting his hand over her shoulder._

"_Ew, back off. You're all sweaty." She said while taking his hand off of her._

_He smirked. "So are you and you don't hear me complaining."_

_She chuckled. "I have the right to complain. I am a girl."_

"_That is the lamest excuse I have ever heard you come up with."_

_She laughed. _

_They had made it a routine to come to the city park together and jog every other day. As they turned their next corner they came up with the rest area. It had a little gazebo with benches around and an area with lockers where they usually left their stuff locked in while they exercise around the park. It was one difference this city park had compared to other parks around Japan. _

_Syaoran walked towards their locker and opened it. He took out his water bottle and drank a sip of it before sharing it with Sakura who in turn the first thing she grabbed was a towel. _

_She dried herself before taking the water bottle offered by her boyfriend. _

_Syaoran watched her before grabbing his towel as well. "You know, in just a couple of months we'll be off to university. Isn't that crazy?"_

_She chuckled. "Yeah, I guess it is. I hope we can still have our days like these."_

"_I don't see why not. Have you thought about Japan University?" he asked._

_She looked at him and tried not to make a big deal about it. "I haven't even chosen any universities yet Syaoran."_

"_I'm sure you haven't but do you at least have it as an alternative?"_

_They had this conversation a couple of months ago when he had expressed how much he would like to play soccer in that university. The university's athletic program had been something that had drawn his attention and kept it above all others. Totally the complete opposite of what it had been for her. JU had never inspired any kind of motivation for her especially since their business program had never been one of the best. But not wanting to hurt his feelings about this she just replied, "I don't know yet."_

"_We could get an apartment."_

_She smiled at his way of trying to convince her. "We would still be here. Wouldn't you like to play outside of Japan? I don't know maybe even another country."_

_He shook his head and sighed. "I'm not asking you to choose yet. I know in the end the decision is yours but can you at least consider it?"_

_She smiled at him and put her hands around his neck. She gave him a quick kiss. "Fine. I'll consider it."_

_He chuckled. "I thought you were repulsed with me being sweaty."_

"_By all means you're right." She said smirking as she started pouring the cold water from the small container through his back._

_He immediately got out of her hold and looked at her. "Sakura! It's cold!"_

"_Are you complaining?" she innocently asked._

_He smirked. "You'll pay for that!" he said before launching himself to catch her while she laughed and ran away from him._

It had been months before they started falling apart. One of the last good moments she had spent with him before breaking up. She took a last glance at the mirror before walking downstairs to the patio. When she reached her destination, she found that he was already waiting for her along with his trainer and agent at his side. She walked towards them and looked at the trainer. "Ready?"

His trainer nodded.

"Aren't you going to tell me how much are we jogging?" Syaoran asked her.

"What difference does it make? You stop when I stop, remember?"

He narrowed his eyes at her but didn't say anything. In moments like these it was better not to cross her especially after allowing him to jog. He couldn't even believe he had been able to convince her with this.

"Start!" his trainer said.

They both started jogging. She could notice he had started in a faster pace than her, as she thought he would, but backed down a little to stay at her side.

"You usually jog faster than this." He said.

She smirked. "Not today. I'm a little more tired than usual."

He scoffed. "I can go faster. Really, is not hurting me that much. You don't have to slow down because of me. I promise you I can keep up."

"I can assure you, your ankle is not what's keeping me from running faster. Today I feel like running at this pace."

He sighed but kept jogging at her pace. It was obvious he hated it but still kept going. Something was always better than nothing even if he found the pace to be almost walking according to him. "Is it because of the other morning then? Fine, I'm sorry for hurting you."

She scoffed. "Who said anything about hurting? But you were right. Whatever you do is your business. I was wrong for trying to interfere with your personal life."

Her words made him feel angrier than he was but he refused to let her stubbornness get the best of him. Instead, he kept running and decided not to say anything else on the matter. After giving a couple of rounds to the huge patio, she finally stopped. They were far off from his house but she decided they could walk all the way there instead of running back.

As agreed, he stopped next to her. "We can do more than thirty minutes."

She sternly looked at him. "I thought we agreed on you not complaining."

He narrowed his eyes at her response as he watched her stretch in front of him. "I need to add someone for Friday's dinner. Do I need to give you her name?"

Sakura sighed and ignored him while she finished stretching. She knew what he was doing. He wanted to get her angry but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction. "You're going back to the hotel tomorrow. You're doctor already approved of it. It's not an entire release but you'll be able to start training with your teammates at least in the gym. As far as practicing with the ball, the doctor still hasn't agreed on it and your coach is aware of that as well."

He stared at her surprised at the news. He truly had thought the doctor wouldn't allow him to go back till probably the end of next week. This was probably the best news he had received in the whole week. He started smiling a little until something struck him… this also meant he wouldn't see her anymore in the mornings again. "Sakura-"

"As far as the list goes, your coach has the instructions for the dinner including the list of allowed guests. You can give the name to him or you could always give it to your sister. She's the one in charge of that area." She smirked before walking back towards the house.

He looked at her walking away and regretfully sighed. He knew he shouldn't have asked that stupid question.

~ o ~

Just as Kyu had said to Eriol, he reached his room after watching film and took his phone out. He looked at her name. They had been talking on the phone since she had left but he could feel the distance between them was getting bigger with each passing day. None of them wanted to bring the subject out but Eriol had been right. He needed to sort this out. Even as he tried for it not to affect him there was no way he could fully commit to the team while still having this on his mind. He took a deep breath before dialing her number.

"_Hey babe!"_

"Hey! Sorry I was studying the scouting report." He said walking towards the window trying not to be nervous when talking to her but failing miserably at it.

"_Oh! Portugal, right? Are they a hard team?"_

He smiled. "In a World Cup, all teams are good."

_She chuckled. "Well, maybe the question is if we are better than they are?"_

"We'll see. How was your shoot?"

"_It was okay I guess. I… I didn't like it but the photographer said it was great."_

Silenced followed her sentence before he finally sighed and said, "We need to talk Meiling."

"_I thought we were talking." She sarcastically answered._

"About marriage."

_Another silent moment came but this time she was the one that broke it. "I don't want to talk about this over the phone."_

"We need to talk about this before my game and you're not coming back until opening ceremony. So the phone will have to do."

"_You said you weren't mad."_

"I'm not mad Meiling."

"_You sound mad."_

He sighed. "I'm not mad. I'm just a little disappointed or bummed. I mean, I know we haven't talked about this but have you even thought about it? Has it crossed your mind?"

"_I wasn't sure you were been serious Kyu."_

"I asked you several times and received the same answer every time. Have you at least thought about it?"

"_Honestly, not till you asked in the car."_

He painfully shook his head and softly asked her, "Can you even see us married in the future Meiling?"

_She hesitated a little before replying. "I love you Kyu and I can see a future with you but marriage is something that brings many new responsibilities that I'm not sure I'm prepared for."_

"Other responsibilities?" he sighed. "You mean having a family?"

"_Yes! Among other things." She quickly said._

"For me marriage happens between two people who love each other despite their faults. That even with different opinions they can't see themselves living without each other and want to build new memories as one."

"_Have we not been doing that? People don't need a title to do that Kyu."_

He could sense her irritation with every word she said. "I'm not looking for a title Meiling." He sighed. "We have been together for many years. Even after breaking up we've always land back with each other. So forgive me for saying this but I'm not sure why you think marriage would be bad for us."

"_I'm not saying is bad for us I'm only saying that I haven't considered it. I don't understand why do you want to change when we're doing just fine as we are."_

He took a deep breath to calm himself down before answering her. "I want more."

"_You want more?"_

"Yes, I want more. I don't care if I'm being selfish right now at least I'm being honest. The last time in the car you told me we hadn't discuss it. We have now. When the tournament ends I will ask you again Meiling and this time I hope you have considered it."

He heard a click at the other end of the phone. Without looking at his phone he carelessly threw it in the bed before stretching his neck. These fights with Meiling took their toll on him. He knew she would hang up. The moment he had decided to push her he knew she would. He knew her that well which only proved his point earlier.

~ o ~

The next morning, Sakura looked at her iPad and marked another thing done in the hotel. Without a doubt today would probably be her most stressful day as she had sent her team early in the morning to start preparing the hotel's ballroom area for tomorrow's event.

"Kira, make sure all tablecloths are the same height from the floor up." She said to one of her employees before looking at a guy behind her who was up in a stair putting the long red curtains. "Tai move it a little bit more to the right." The guy nodded and did as she requested.

"Ms. Kinomoto the glasses have just arrived."

'Perfect! Just in time!' she thought before nodding and quickly walking out of the ballroom towards the entrance. Today's agenda made her feel a little anxious. One would think that coordinating many events in the past would eventually prepare you for the ones you'd be doing in the future but in her case she could say the entire opposite. For some reason she felt really nervous about tomorrow's event. A feeling she hadn't experienced before.

She was usually confident whenever she planned an event but for some reason this one was different. She felt as if it wasn't enough. 'What the heck is wrong with me?' She shook her head and looked at the entrance doors. Suri was already taking care of it.

"Sakura!"

She looked at her side where her name had been called from and found a smiling Feimei approaching her.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Sakura nodded. "Yeah. What are you doing here? Don't you have a project you need to take care of?"

Feimei chuckled and innocently answered, "Well I came to see if you needed any help."

Sakura curiously looked at her and was about to ask her about her little offer until she traced her eyes to find Xiun eating at the hotel's restaurant. She scoffed and sarcastically asked, "Help?"

Feimei sheepishly smiled at her. "Oh come on! You know otherwise I won't be able to see him."

"If your father finds you here he would think another thing."

"Like what?" she asked.

"Like you taking an interest in the family business for once."

Feimei chuckled. "I doubt it. I stand firm with what I said of wanting my own independent business in the future. I'm sure my father will respect that."

Sakura smirked.

"Oh! I didn't know my brother was coming back today." Feimei exclaimed as she watched Syaoran entering through the hotel doors.

Sakura looked at the door as well. Suddenly she felt more nervous than she already was. She had never agreed with the doctor's decision on letting him go back to his team but the doctor had assured her that he would be fine. He was carrying his sports bag when he spotted her and stopped. He stared at her for a couple of seconds until his teammates started getting up from their table to greet him. Smiling, he greeted some of them back with several weird handshakes and others with semi hugs. She watched the entire scene with fondness knowing he was very well received after everything he had been through.

She felt happy to see him back with his teammates. Almost too happy until suddenly she watched a figure appeared from the corner of the restaurant.

"Oh, is that girl again."

"Again?" Sakura asked Feimei. Her eyes never left Syaoran as she watched him hug Katherine as well.

Feimei scoffed and smirked. "Mother found her outside of Syaoran's room one day. Needless to say it wasn't a happy morning. I'm quite surprised to find her still lurking around my brother at all. I would've thought one morning talking with my mother would be enough."

Sakura heard her friend but decided that it was enough. She turned around and walked back towards the ballroom area once more.

Feimei turned her face to watch Sakura walking away curiously before looking back at the restaurant. Her brother had taken Katherine's hands off from his neck but it was too late. Sakura had already left.

~ o ~

Syaoran started greeting his teammates. He was happy to finally be back.

"Hey man! About time!" Mark greeted giving him a hug.

"Finally!" Kyu said smiling while doing a secret handshake.

"Syaoran!"

A woman loudly called from the corner. When he turned around, he suddenly found himself in the arms of Katherine who had jumped to him quickly when she saw him. "I'm so glad you're back! You didn't tell me you were already released."

He quickly got her hands off his neck and looked towards the corner to watch Sakura's retreating back walking away. His little sister still stood on the hallway. She threw him a look before walking away towards where Sakura was heading. He tried to calm down while letting Katherine's hands go and telling her, "Katherine, I'm sorry but I'm with my teammates now. We won't be able to see each other until after the tournament."

Katherine looked at him hopefully and smiled. "What about tomorrow night? We are still going together right?"

"If he's not taking you, I can!" one of his teammates loudly said.

She chuckled but kept looking at Syaoran.

"I'll text you." He simply said before walking towards his coach's table.

His coach stood up with a smile on his face. "Welcome back!" he said as he hugged Syaoran as well. Tan didn't greet him so eagerly instead he just nodded before giving him his room key. He simply took the key and looked at his coach again. "I'm going to take my stuff up then."

His coach nodded. "Suit up too. We leave in fifteen minutes."

Syaoran nodded before picking his stuff and walking towards the elevator. He hit the tenth floor and waited for the doors to close before hitting his head back softly with the elevator wall. Why the heck had he let Katherine hug him?

~ o ~

Xiefa left her car at the valet and walked quickly to the hotel ballroom. She couldn't believe what she had just read. It was just preposterous to even think something like this could've happened. "Where's Sakura?" she asked to one of the guys setting up the tables for tonight.

"Ms. Kinomoto is backstage." He quickly replied a little frightened after seeing her face.

"Thank you." She said before going back to find her friend. She walked around the black curtains to find her friend coordinating the sound for tonight's event. "Sakura." She called more loudly than she truly intended.

Sakura turned to see her friend walking towards her.

When Xiefa reached her, she faked a smile and looked at the audio guy. "Please excuse us for a minute." She waited for the guy to leave before turning towards her friend and handing her a piece of paper. "Can you please explain to me why that woman is on the list?"

Sakura looked at the list and saw that he truly had put her in as a guest. "A wild guess, she'll be your brother's companion for the night."

"I thought you had cleared this up with him."

"Clear what up Xiefa? If he wants to invite her to the dinner he has every right to do so like every other player tomorrow night."

"Except he truly is not just like every other player, he's my brother. And if I am not mistaken, which I can assure you I am 99.9% sure that I'm not, he's not even fond of this girl. So, why would he be bringing someone like that to a special dinner like the one he has tomorrow night? Mmm… my mind started throwing ideas on my head but it didn't took long to figure out it was because of you. So, what did you do?"

"I don't need to give you any explanations Xiefa. If he wants to take the girl then let him do so. If you don't like his decision then take it up with him."

Xiefa stared at her friend and narrowed her eyes. "What's wrong with you? You don't look good."

Sakura quickly dismissed her while handing back the list to her. "I'm fine."

Xiefa took the papers back but didn't back down. "You look pale, almost sick."

Sakura sighed. "Xiefa, if you don't mind I have a lot of work before tomorrow. Do you need anything else?"

Her response only confirmed Xiefa's suspicion. "Something happened between you two."

Sakura sighed and looked away. "Are you done?"

"Not quite. I will only say this once to you Sakura because we have come a long way since you got here. You are my friend but he is my brother and I don't want to see either of you getting hurt again. So you better think well and finish up deciding what you really want."

Sakura sternly looked at her before hearing a chuckle coming from the side. She watched as Xian appeared from the corner of the room with his hands on his pockets and a smile on his face.

"I like how this place is looking." He said as he walked towards them.

Sakura calmed down after seeing Xian walking towards them. The whole talk about Syaoran had already become tiring to her ears. "It's not even half way done."

"Knowing you, I have nothing to fear. Is everything in yet?"

She shook her head. "We're still missing the centerpieces for the tables. Most of the food has arrived and the decorations as well."

He nodded as he reached them. "Good. When are the rest of the things arriving?"

"They're scheduled to arrive tonight. There's no need to worry. Everything is right on schedule."

He smiled. "Does right on schedule allow you time to buy a dress?"

She stared at him. While Xiefa had always been very open with her thoughts just like her mother, her father was the complete opposite. He never let his thoughts be known out in the open bluntly. Instead, he would always say the necessary words to have things turn out the way he wanted. Something she had completely learned from him and was yet to master.

"I'm not planning on coming."

"What?" Xiefa asked.

Xian smirked a little before giving her the news. "I took the liberty of buying you a dress. Don't worry, Feimei went with me and tried it on to make sure it will fit you. I hope you like it. I left it in your office and again took the liberty of giving Suri instructions of getting it a couple of hours before the event."

Sakura was pissed. She should have known the moment he stepped out of the corner of the room was to ask something of her. "I think it should be my choice whether I want to attend the event or not."

"I have some investors I want you to meet. They are very excited to finally be meeting you as they have heard a lot about you."

Investors…? Of course. The sneaky business man always had some sort of excuse to cover his real intentions. "Must we meet at the event?"

"I promise you it won't take long. Just a couple of drinks, dinner, and then afterwards if you wish to leave you're more than welcome to."

Xiefa smiled. "Father, should I get a room for Sakura as well then? Just in case she needs to prepare herself here…"

Xian looked at his daughter. "There's no need. I'm sure Sakura will not want to stay here." He said before calmly turning around and walking away satisfied. From the moment he had met Sakura he had known she was a workaholic just like him. Even if she didn't wanted to attend the event she would never pass up a chance of meeting new investors. A perk he knew way too well about her and one he could always use.

~ o ~

Eriol took his shoes off and got comfortable after reaching his room. Syaoran had left him saying he needed to walk. Probably a little anxious about the tournament he thought before he heard a knock on his door. Knowing perfectly well who the person was, he happily went and opened it.

"Babe!" he said before kissing her and getting her inside the room.

She happily smiled after the kiss. "Hey love! How was practice?"

"I have bad news. Syaoran came back this morning."

Tomoyo looked at him startled. "Well baby I would think those are good news no? I mean, you were telling me how the team wasn't the same without him and all."

"Well, I wasn't thinking about the team when I said that." He hugged her and kissed her forehead before saying, "I was thinking about us. And how you won't be able to sleep with me at night anymore until the tournament is over."

She chuckled and looked at him. "You could always sneak into my room. I wouldn't mind."

He smirked. "I have the king of sneaking in and out of rooms for a roommate. Additional to that he's also a Nazi when it comes to training. I shouldn't even bother mentioning that this is the World Cup tournament the one we're playing."

"Is that you're way of saying sneaking into my room is a bad idea?"

"Not just a bad idea babe… impossible would be more like it."

She chuckled. "Oh, I almost forgot. I got the pictures from the professional photographer." She walked towards her bag and took a small pouch full of pictures. "Do you want to sit down and look through them to decide?"

Eriol simply nodded. They had decided to give a small frame with a cute message as a memorable thing to all their guests on their wedding. Since for Tomoyo taking pictures was something she enjoyed they thought this to be the perfect gift on their wedding. He walked towards the couch and sat next to her putting his arm around her shoulder while she started showing him the pictures.

"What do you think about this one?"

"Mmm, is nice."

She narrowed her eyes and looked at him. "Don't tell me is nice like that time at the cabin. I want you to be honest Eriol."

He smiled at her. "I'm been honest babe. I promise."

She went back to passing the pictures. "And this one?"

"No. Not that one."

She nodded and went for the other one as they stayed the rest of the afternoon looking at pictures and choosing the one they wanted for the memorable piece on their wedding.

~ o ~

The moment he stepped back into the hotel, he quickly let his things in his room and left. As always he was rooming with Eriol who had been curious to know where he was going but he just brushed him off by telling him he just needed to walk. It wasn't a lie, indeed he needed to walk but he was walking with a set destination. Being the night before the opening dinner he knew Sakura had to be somewhere inside the hotel still.

Arriving at the lobby, he watched as some men were taking some trays over to the back of the restaurant. Others were carrying boxes over to the ballroom salon where the dinner was taking place. He took a deep breath before finally deciding to follow the people walking towards the room. Opening the door, he looked around but couldn't find her. He stopped one of the guys on his way out. "Can you tell me where I can find Ms. Kinomoto?"

"You're Li Syaoran! Oh sir, it's a pleasure to meet you." The guy excitedly responded. "Oh, may I take a picture with you? It's so good that you were able to recover so quickly. Will you be able to play on Sunday?"

Syaoran smiled politely and took a picture with the guy. "We'll see if I can. Do you know where Ms. Kinomoto is by any chance?"

The guy quickly nodded. "Ah yes, yes. She should be in the kitchen right now. Wow… I can't believe I got to take a picture with you. I'll be sending this one to all of my friends. They'll envy me for sure." He smirked.

Syaoran nodded and left the man writing in his phone before going towards the kitchen. As he approached the kitchen, he heard her voice from the outside.

"This makes the last one of these. Now, on to the plates."

He heard the sound of boxes been dragged around the floor before he leaned on the door with his arms crossed as he looked at Suri placing a box on a table.

Suri opened the first box and took a plate out. "Well, the engraving came out nice." She said before looking up and gasping. "Syaoran!"

Sakura turned to watch him leaning against the door frame.

"Can we talk?" He said while looking at her.

She sighed. "I don't have time. I still have a lot of things to finish before tomorrow. So if you don't mind I will ask you to leave."

He knew it wouldn't be easy but decided to ask Suri instead, "Suri could you give us a minute?"

Suri looked at Syaoran before looking at Sakura. The tension in the room made her guess that something had obviously happened between these two probably during Syaoran's recovery. She was in between something she knew quite well she didn't wanted to be involved with. Especially knowing how Sakura was with her work life. She carefully asked, "Sakura? Not to say much but I think the faster you talk to him the sooner we can get back to working…?"

Sakura sighed but nodded before looking back at Syaoran. "You have a minute."

Syaoran waited until Suri was out of the room to say, "I'm sorry about what you saw that morning."

She looked away still furious about touching that subject but controlling herself in front of him. "I understood the first time you said in your room that I had no business in your personal life. We talked about this already. If that is all, you can leave."

He sighed. "I don't want her."

"She sure wants you." She quickly replied.

"And I want you. So, where does this leads us?" he answered with the same quickness she did before.

She sighed and looked away. "Respect my decision Syaoran."

"Which one? The one that comes out of your lips or the one I felt when we kissed?"

The firmness in which he said those words made her look back at him. He was always so demanding when he had his mind set. A sudden nervousness went through her body. She needed to finish this now. The longer she kept this conversation going, the more dangerous and confident he would get. She knew she wouldn't be able to hold him back for much longer the way this "minute talk" was going. "I need to get back to work. I don't have time for this now."

He took a step forward which made her took a step back and away from him. Her movement made him narrowed his eyes at her. "Come with me to tomorrow's dinner."

She stared at him. Hearing about the dinner once more reminded her of her little conversation with Xiefa this afternoon. "I'm surprised you even dare to ask. I already saw you're bringing her and I myself I'm pretty sure I'm not caught up to be anyone's chaperon."

He smirked at her confidently as he took another step forward to be in front of her. "Then come with me as my date. The one that holds the list is my sister. I'm sure she wouldn't have problems changing her name to yours."

She stood her ground defiantly. "Clearly if you invited her is because you must have wanted her there at your side."

He didn't stop his confident approach towards her until he was right in front of her. Arrogantly he smiled as he looked directly into her eyes. "You're not intimidated by her. I know you better than that. So what's truly holding you back?"

**Authors Note**: Whoa! It feels like forever since I haven't updated this story. As always, I thank you for all your reviews. They're really encouraging and helps keep me going on. I hope you like this chapter as well.


	14. Chapter 14 - Life has its Phases

"_**Life only comes around once, so do what makes you happy and be with whoever makes you smile" - Brigitte**_

**Chapter 14**

"**Life has its Phases"**

Last night… he kept thinking about last night. Sakura had never given him an answer. Suri ended up interrupting them just when he had cornered her and Sakura, as always never missing a chance, ended up dismissing him with the excuse that she needed to finish work and his minute was up.

He fiddled with his tie a little to give himself a little more breathing space to at least help his discomfort. They were currently having their press conference as a team before the beginning of the tournament tomorrow and he hated dressing up this way. The minute this press conference was over he had no doubt in his mind that the first thing he would do would be to take off this ridiculous tie followed by undoing the first two buttons of his nice shirt and finishing with taking it out of his pants. He had always been more of a sport guy even when dressing up than a business man. In his opinion these clothes suited his father a lot more than it suited him.

"Syaoran?"Eriol nudge his cousin.

Syaoran curiously looked at him. "What?" he lowly asked.

"The reporter just asked you how you're feeling." Eriol whispered.

He looked back at the crowd of reporters and cleared his throat. "I feel a lot better than a month ago, I think everyone knows that." He decided to joke around the question to cover the fact that he was indeed not paying attention at all.

"How far along are you with your recovery? Are you already able to play?" One of the reporters asked.

"I'm still not entirely recovered yet. I've been cleared up to do some training with my teammates but the doctor still has to confirm my full recovery before I can start fully practicing with the team."

"As far as percentages go, how would you categorize the level of recovery you find yourself in right now?" a woman asked.

"I'd say about an 85% good to go. I've had one of the best rehabs any player could wish for and I will keep following it till I'm fully recovered."

A man stood up quickly and asked, "Do you think you'll be able to start in the first game on Sunday?"

He sighed. 'Another reason to hate press conferences…' he thought before replying, "As a team, we have worked very hard for various years and find ourselves prepared to face any opponent in the field. Whether I play or not is not important. My teammates, as well as I, have worked with the same intensity during these years preparing ourselves for this tournament. As for me, my doctor will release me when he thinks I'm ready and my coach will determine when I will play."

Kyu smirked and chuckled after hearing Syaoran's answer while Eriol simply looked at him and regretfully sighing turned his sight down. His cousin had never been good with having patient when it came to dealing with reporter's much less handling press conferences.

~ o ~

Feimei chuckled after hearing her brother on TV. It was obvious he was already bored with all the questions about his rehab. The reporters turned from asking questions at Syaoran to start asking questions to his coach. A move that made her laughed even more thinking about the poor reporters getting intimidated by her dear brother's answer.

"I thought you were staying in your apartment last night." Xiefa said as she walked down the stairs.

"You're still here?" she asked.

"I'm heading to the office in a couple of minutes." Xiefa answered while getting her car keys from the wall. She looked at China's soccer team press conference and stopped to listen to it. "Has Sakura talked to you about our brother?"

Feimei curiously looked at her. "Is there anything to tell?"

"He's taking that reporter to dinner tonight."

"Really?" she sarcastically asked before chuckling at the mere thought.

Xiefa bewildered looked at her little sister thinking that perhaps she had gone insane. "Is there anything laughable from what I just said?"

"Oh sister stop taking things too hard."

"As opposed to you who always take things too lightly you mean."

Feimei chuckled but nodded. "There's nothing to worry in there. Syaoran won't do anything with that girl and what's more… Mother already met her. Can you imagine the poor girl under mother's scrutinizing glare? I heard from Fuutie that morning was quite an eventful one."

Xiefa stared at her. "I'm glad at least one of us is having fun with this."

"Our brother only has eyes for Sakura. I think we all know that." Feimei simply said.

"Do you know what happened between them?"

Feimei looked back at her sister. "Something happened between them?"

Xiefa grunted. "You're no help." She said before walking out of the house.

~ o ~

Suri walked quickly through the hallways of the hotel. She avoided some workers who were carrying some seats into the ballroom to reach the room right behind it.

"Once Xiefa starts going up these stairs, I need you to start dimming the lights a little bit until she reaches the podium and then you'll focus the center light on her as she gives her speech. Is that clear?"

She heard Sakura giving her instructions for tonight's event. A young man who was probably around his twenties nodded. His long black hair tied up in a ponytail and big black glasses that adorned his pale skin suited his nerdy appearance. Suri approached them as soon as she spotted Sakura.

"Sakura!"

Sakura looked towards her side to see her assistant quickly approaching. "Please tell me there's nothing wrong. We are in our less than twenty four hours timeline."

Suri shook her head. "Not something wrong, but the chef wants you to check a new side dish he wishes to introduce tonight."

"No. I think I made it very clear that all dishes must have been tried by now. We are not changing anything when it comes to food."

Suri watched as Sakura went back to giving instructions to the poor tech boy. She thought that perhaps that talk with Syaoran would at least help her boss's mood but she had been clearly mistaken. Sakura had been more difficult to deal with than before the talk. "It's not a bad dish and it's quickly to make. I took the liberty of trying a little bit of it and I think you might want to reconsider. I can tell him to prepare some for you and have it delivered to the restaurant."

Sakura stopped giving her instructions and looked at Suri. "Did you not hear what I said or are you making yourself not understand? How much clearer do I need to make it?"

Suri took a deep breath and ignored her question. "You've always taught me that if it can make a difference then we should give it a try. It's precisely what I'm doing right now."

Sakura stared at Suri. Her assistant was right. She had indeed taught her that. She took a deep breath and simply said, "If you consider it will make a difference then tell the chef to prepare it. I will be there once I finish here."

Suri smile a little before nodding and walking away. She couldn't believe she had been able to win this one. With Sakura everything was hard especially when the event was happening the same day. But today was different. Her temper was worst than any other event she had worked with her and she had no doubt that the reason behind her moodiness was none other than Li.

Sakura finish giving the tech boy the instructions and just as she had agreed on with Suri, she left towards the hotel restaurant. She spotted her assistant talking with one of the waiters and walked towards the table they had set for her. She sat down and looked at the waiter. "Make this quick. We don't have all day."

The waiter nodded and quickly left towards the kitchen.

"You know, something that has always worked for me is talking things with someone." Suri said as she sat next to her boss.

"Not everything works for everyone the way it works for you." Sakura said as she looked at her watch anxiously. It was almost noon and she still had a lot of things to take care of before seven o'clock. She sighed and looked up and found exactly the sight she had been dreading since last night… China's national team was beginning to enter the restaurant. They were all dressed up nicely which made her remember that this morning they were scheduled to have their press conference so they must have just gotten out from it. She watched as Kyu entered the restaurant followed by Eriol and regretfully looked down sighing knowing who would probably walk in next. She looked at Suri again. "What is taking the waiter so long?"

Suri turned from looking at the sight as well to face Sakura a little scared. "I didn't know they'll be eating now."

Sakura started to feel the anxiety rising within her. She looked around to find many people with cameras ready and taking pictures of the team entering the restaurant. She knew once he saw her he wouldn't stop. Suddenly the whole dismissing him with the "minute is over" excuse didn't seem like a good idea.

"He already spotted us." Suri said.

"I thought you said this chef could prepare this plate quickly." Sakura quickly responded still avoiding to look up.

Suri looked at her. "Well he can but I doubt two minutes is enough to prepare a plate Sakura." She said before looking back at the rest of the team entering the restaurant. She took advantage of the moment and smiled at her boyfriend once she saw him but her smile disappeared once she saw Syaoran moving towards them. "Oh, oh, he's coming over..."

~ o ~

Today indeed must be his lucky day. As he entered the restaurant he spotted none other than the turmoil of his thoughts Sakura sitting not too far from the restaurant door. He narrowed his eyes as he saw her trying to avoid him. She was looking everywhere but where he stood. Seeing that made him smirk knowing she was probably a nervous wreck inside by now. She had been able to escape him yesterday but she wouldn't be able to do the same today.

"Syaoran, where are you going?" He heard Kyu's question but simply ignored it as he started to walk over towards where she was sitting in a corner. He passed several tables and was halfway there until his little sister stepped in front of him and stopped him.

If looks could kill, Feimei would be dead by now but she simply smiled at him and gave him a hug. "I'm so glad you're okay. I didn't know you were coming back so soon." She worriedly said.

He sighed and hugged her back. Been his little sister he had always had a soft spot for her. "I'm sorry for making you worry. I didn't have too much time to say it to everybody. They just told me yesterday." He softly said to her.

Feimei smiled as she let go of her brother and sweetly said, "Don't even dare going towards her right now."

He stared at her. Her voice had suddenly turned from worry to warning in just mere seconds.

Feimei kept smiling as she playfully tried to caress her brother's face but Syaoran looked away before she could even touch him.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

Without stopping her smile and dissimulating having a good time with her brother she quickly said, "I'm saving whatever possibilities you have of getting back with Sakura. Am I not your favorite sister?"

He sighed. "Feimei get out of my way."

"There are more than fifty reporters in this restaurant and they are all following you. Didn't you notice at your press conference? I thought three questions about your recovery would be enough to know." She saw her brother taking a deep breath and knew she had finally convinced him. "As you can't go towards her, is there anything you want me to tell her?"

Feimei watched as her brother was about to look at Sakura and quickly added, "Ah! Eyes on me lover boy."

He looked back at his sister annoyed by the interruption and the fact that she was indeed right about the reporters. "Tell her she still hasn't given me my answer and if she doesn't I will come and get it." He said before turning around and going back to the team. They were still waiting for the waiters to finish setting up the rest of the tables so he was able to blend in with them without any problems.

Feimei relaxed as she watched her brother going back to his team. She had been able to see the whole scene from the corner of the restaurant. For seven years she had known Sakura and after seeing her facial expression when the soccer team started getting into the restaurant she knew she had to intervene.

As soon as her brother reached the rest of the team she turned around and walked over to Sakura's table. She sat with ease on the sit in front of Sakura with a smile on her face. "Hello!" she greeted.

"Hi!" Suri happily greeted back.

"Are you having lunch here?" Feimei asked.

At the mention of the word 'lunch' Suri remembered that they were about to try a new dish for tonight. With the whole soccer team entering the restaurant she had temporarily forgotten about it. "No. We're just trying out a new plate. Do you want me to order you one as well Feimei?"

Feimei smile. "Sure. I was about to have lunch anyways."

Suri nodded and got up from her chair to mention the extra plate to the chef.

Feimei followed Suri with her eyes until she was out of hearing reach to smirk at Sakura. "My brother says hi by the way."

Sakura sighed looking at her. "Thank you." At Feimei's questioning look she added, "For stopping him from coming here."

Feimei noticed that even after stopping Syaoran from getting to her table Sakura was still trying to avoid looking over to where he was. Xiefa's words in the morning came back to her as she watched Sakura turned her sight to look out of the restaurant's window. "He did mention you not giving him an answer and if you don't he'll come and get it. Those were his exact words I believe. May I ask, to what question?"

Sakura looked back at Feimei.

Feimei watched as Sakura hesitated to answer her question. She smirked with curiosity before asking again, "What did he ask for or should I run with possible scenarios? Going out on a date? Sleeping with you? Getting back together? A relationship… it's been weeks since you've been in one."

Sakura rolled her eyes at Feimei impressed at how fast her mind could travel with her ideas. "I'd rather if you simply let it go, more so knowing where we're at." Sakura replied quickly. She turned to see Suri coming back towards the table.

Feimei chuckled. "I wonder if the rumors of his kisses are true…"

"Drop it!" Sakura said a little embarrassed. She didn't need to hear rumors anymore. She could vouch they were indeed true but letting Feimei know would certainly spoil her peace or what was left of it before the dinner ceremony tonight.

"What's wrong with you?" Feimei asked after seeing Sakura blush. "You can't honestly tell me you don't wonder as…" Before she could finish her sentence she gasped surprised at her friend. "Unless you know!"

Sakura was glad that at last Suri had reached the table and sat down. She quickly looked at her and asked, "Is he done?"

Suri looked at Sakura and smiled. "He's almost done. It's just that since I told him to add one more plate he's taking a couple of minutes in preparing it but the plate is done."

Sakura exhaled a little bothered because of the held back. "It's been five minutes already." She looked at the table as her phone flashed she had a new message. She picked it up and opened it.

*I want my answer. Come with me tonight.

She quickly looked at him from across the other side of the restaurant and found him staring directly at her. She narrowed her eyes before answering him.

*The answer is still no.

She put her phone back in the table and was relieved to see their food finally came. The plate was an appetizer as she looked at the arugula salad that was presented in front of her. The chef came out of the kitchen and started describing his plate as she took the first bites of it. He kept going through the preparation stages for it and explaining the benefits of having this plate for tonight's dinner even if it was a last minute dish but her mind was way far off from listening to him. She couldn't concentrate at all. She took two more bites before nodding. "It's good, you can put it in."

"Sakura, the chef hasn't finished his explanation." Suri pointed.

Sakura looked at her. "I said he can put it in. That's good enough." She looked at her phone flashing again and saw this time it was a call. She picked it up and excused herself from the table.

Feimei watched as her friend walked out of the restaurant. She felt something was definitely not right. She had only been teasing her with her brother but after seeing the way she reacted towards the chef she knew something was off. This wasn't the usual Sakura who was confident in her decisions. The arugula salad was good but she didn't even finish the plate.

Dumbfounded from what had just transpired in front of her Suri stared at the restaurant's door waiting to see if her boss would be coming back. She had known Sakura had never been too patient especially when she had a timeline to meet, but to just simply stand up and leave…

"Thank you for the salad. It's really good. You may leave now." Feimei nicely said to the chef. She waited for him to be out of hearing range before turning towards her lunch companion. "Suri?"

Suri looked from the door to Feimei. "Yes?"

"Double check everything Sakura does from now on for tonight's dinner."

Suri curiously stared at her and stated. "She's my boss..."

"Precisely," was Feimei's answer. "The way things are going she may need to count on you more than ever for tonight's event."

~ o ~

Sakura sighed as she hung up her phone. Apparently the last delivery of spices was late. From the moment she woke up this morning she knew this day would be hectic. Dealing with an entire reception plus a dinner took its toll on her especially considering she had only three hours of sleep last night. Or better yet, this early morning when she had finally reached her apartment. At the beginning the event had only been scheduled to be a simple nice top of the line dinner. Then later on as it usually happens with her boss other things got added in the way.

"Sakura!"

She looked to her side at her name being called and found none other than Meiling entering through the hotel doors. She raised her brow as she curiously looked at her friend. "Weren't you arriving tomorrow?"

Meiling greeted her with a quick hug and nodded. "I was able to finish faster than I thought this last trip."

Sakura nodded back. "Well, I can talk to the managers to get your room ready."

Meiling shook her head and quickly replied. "No! I'm not staying here tonight."

Sakura's curiosity rose after hearing her words. "I thought you'd want to stay in the hotel."

"Can we go somewhere to talk? Maybe even have lunch?" she asked nodding towards the restaurant.

She tried to mask her face with a smile as much as possible but Sakura suspected there was something wrong with her friend. Remembering what having lunch meant and the place where they stood, Sakura politely smiled and replied, "How about we go some other place? The restaurant is full of players as we speak and I'm in a tight schedule as it is. Maybe just coffee?"

Meiling nodded. "Better yet. I know of a small café around this area, if it's still there."

Sakura nodded. "We can go on my car. Is everything okay?"

"There's no need for driving. It's just around the corner literally."

"Okay." Sakura shrugged but followed Meiling nonetheless. As Meiling had stated, the small coffee shop was situated in a corner one block away from their hotel. One would think that after seven years Sakura would've visited this place at least once but she had never known of the place. She had drive around it several times but had never taken the chance to stop and visit the place per se. After opening the door and getting inside she found it had a warm and cozy atmosphere. She could easily tell the tea cups were the main theme by looking at several antique decorations around the place.

"Two Cappuccinos please!" Meiling ordered and looked at Sakura. "Is that okay with you?"

Sakura nodded. "It's fine. For all that's been going around a Cappuccino will go extra great on my day."

Meiling chuckled. "It's one of those days, huh?"

"I guess it is." Sakura tiredly answered.

After Meiling paid for everything, they both decided to sit in a table for two far from the window.

"And what's this of you coming a day early? I thought you were positively sure you wouldn't be able to arrive any earlier than tomorrow." Sakura commented.

Meiling waited for the waitress to serve their coffee. She took her spoon, poured two blocks of brown sugar in her coffee and mixed everything in with the spoon. "To tell you the truth I was actually kind of hoping we could have this talk." She finished mixing her coffee and looked at Sakura. "I needed to talk to a practical person for once. I mean, don't get me wrong Tomoyo has been a really good friend throughout all these years but her happy fairytale is not something I share with her."

Sakura looked at Meiling and chuckled. "I guess it's understandable."

Meiling sighed before saying, "Kyu asked me to marry him."

Sakura widened her eyes in shock. "Really?" She watched as her friend slowly nodded and finished her thought. "And… you're obviously not happy about it."

"Marriage for someone like Tomoyo is happiness. Is like fulfilling one of your most wanted wishes. But is not the same for me. Marriage to me is like enslavement inside a cage."

"And you think that's what Kyu meant when he proposed? That he wants to cage you in?"

Meiling shook her head. "He's more along the lines of feeling like Tomoyo about marriage."

"I thought you loved Kyu…"

"I do, but that doesn't mean that we have to marry. I mean, first is marriage. Then he's going to come up with wanting me to stay home. And then he's going to want children." After her small rant, she stopped and looked sternly at Sakura. "I don't even see myself as a mother."

Sakura slowly smiled at her friend before saying, "Meiling, I think he loves you too much to want to make you unhappy. And, don't take this the wrong way, but have you considered that perhaps he wants to marry you just to take a step forward in your relationship instead of being off and on whenever you guys go through a rough time? I mean, from what I've heard even the times when you guys have broken up you still end up going back to each other. I think that, if you are afraid that this is what he wants with the whole marriage thing then perhaps you should be straight forward with him. Just let him know how you truly feel about this."

"I don't want kids Sakura."

"Well, did he say he wants to have kids now?"

Meiling shook her head. "No. But after marriage, you know that's coming."

"Okay, then let me ask you this. If he were to agree not to have kids, would you marry him?"

Meiling thought about it before answering, "Yes."

"Then speak to him about it. You're problem is not marriage, is what comes after marriage."

Meiling shook her head again. "It's not so easy. I know he wants kids Sakura. He wants to have a family. He already told me this. And I know I'm being selfish right now because I don't want any but what am I supposed to do when I feel this way? And I don't want to lose him either because of something like this."

"Meiling, I've seen the way that man looks at you. I've seen the way he was with you seven years ago and the way he still is today. And if you tell him how you really feel about all of this, I'm sure he'll understand."

Meiling sighed. "I tried and ended up hanging up the phone on him."

Sakura looked at her messed up friend and asked, "You talked this over the phone?"

"Well I wasn't expecting to be a day earlier and neither did he so we ended up fighting about this over the phone." She quickly said.

It was definitely not a good way of discussing this particular topic on Sakura's mind but regardless she said, "Well, speak to him in person. Having a conversation face to face to solve problems has been proved to be more effective than having a phone talk."

Meiling took a deep breath before nodding. "You're right. I should just talk to him face to face." Then she narrowed her eyes and finished saying, "that way he can see how truly devastating I am of having children."

Sakura chuckled and shook her head while drinking another sip of her cappuccino. "Wow, I guess you'll be the second one engaged now."

"We all thought you'd be the first, you know…" Meiling carelessly said while also taking a sip of her cup.

Sakura stared at her before looking down at her cup and sadly smile. "Yeah."

At her friends reaction Meiling quickly said, "Oh! I didn't mean it that way."

Sakura shook her head. "It's okay. I still think we did the right thing."

"The right thing?" Meiling stared at her friend before continuing. "I know I shouldn't be saying this but you'll have to forgive me I just have to. Perhaps it was the right thing for you but you weren't there to see him fall. He has bruises right now that not even you can mend."

Sakura tiredly sighed. "Don't judge me Meiling. This wasn't easy on any of us." She wanted to finish that sentence the way she had thought of it but decided not to indulge anymore on the topic. Instead she opted for finishing her cappuccino before looking at her watch. "I have to go. I need to finish preparing everything and only have five hours left." She said before looking at her watch. "Actually, four and a half." She said as she took her purse and said goodbye to her friend before walking out the door. In the end… 'It had been his decision all along.'

~ o ~

"Alright! Before you leave, remember tonight at seven in the lobby for the Welcome Dinner. No excuses are allowed. You have the rest of the day to yourselves so make sure you rest and are on time. Also, remember curfew is at eleven. I don't want any of you out of your rooms after that. Is this clear?"

"Yes." Most of the players said collectively before dividing themselves into their usual social groups and leaving the lobby area.

After lunch their coach dismissed them as part of their tournament routine. It was important to practice but also to be well rested. The tournament lasted almost a month and rest would be hard to achieve after their first game on Sunday. He needed the team to bring their very best game throughout the tournament so trusting them to be responsible in their own time he gave them the rest of the afternoon off.

Syaoran looked around but didn't see her.

"So, how about we try the pool on the roof?" Kyu happily suggested after watching their coach walked away.

"The pool on the roof is probably the worst place to be right now Kyu. I bet a lot of fans are in there by now." Eriol said looking around to see what they could possibly do before dinner. His girlfriend was out buying her last minute preparations for tonight which meant he had absolutely nothing better to do. As he looked around, he spotted a very familiar face and smirked. "Besides, I think you'll be busy as of now."

Kyu curiously looked at him before following his gaze. He widened his eyes and smiled when he saw his girlfriend entering the hotel lobby with a small suitcase on her hand. Or better yet… a large suitcase which for her was a small one. He immediately left them and went to greet her.

Syaoran's lack of emotion worried Eriol. Their tournament was about to start and he had never seen his cousin so out of focused as he did today. "You do know Kyu asked our cousin to marry, don't you?"

Syaoran, who had been watching the entire scene, smirked. "Let me guess…"

"Yep." Eriol nodded and chuckled. "Are you okay man?"

"Yeah." He said as normally as he could. "I'll be in the gym if anyone asks."

Eriol looked at him. "Coach gave us the afternoon off and you're going to the gym?"

"Coach gave you guys the afternoon off. I need to train." He simply said.

"Syaoran, you're part of this team even if you're still recuperating. If coach gave us the afternoon off, that means you too."

Ignoring his cousin, he turned around. "Spare me your lectures Eriol. I'll see you guys at dinner."

Eriol widened his eyes. "You're going to train for four hours in the gym?" he loudly asked but Syaoran simply ignored him and walked all the way to the elevator. Sighing, Eriol shook his head. His cousin wasn't alright but something told him it wasn't just the training. He had seen the way Syaoran reacted when they entered the restaurant earlier. Something else was bothering his cousin and he had the slightly suspicion that it involved their long lost/found friend Sakura.

~ o ~

The moment he laid eyes on Meiling, everything else was forgotten. Their phone talk, their discussion, everything had passed to another page after seeing her arrive a day earlier. He smiled and without thinking it twice went over to her and hugged her. "I thought you weren't coming until tomorrow."

She felt engulfed in his hands and hugged him back. "Yeah, well I was able to get here a day earlier."

He gave her a quick kiss and happily hugged her again. "I'm glad."

"Can we go to your room?" she asked a little unsure.

"Yeah." He said before grabbing her bag and walking towards the elevator. "How was your trip?"

"It was alright. I mean it wasn't as comfortable as others since we had to fly standby and the seats weren't even assigned beforehand but I guess it was okay."

He let her enter the elevator first before following. "Did you already change the information on the hotel or do you need me to talk to someone?"

"I'll be staying at my aunt's house tonight."

He looked at her but didn't say anything. After the elevator doors opened, they walked together to his room. He unlocked the door and let her walk in before following her with her bag. "Why not just make the arrangements to stay here tonight?" He watched her walk toward his room big balcony and pause.

She looked down before taking a deep breath and turning towards him. "I don't want you to lose your concentration."

He nodded and casually put his hands on his pockets. "This doesn't need to make us feel awkward Meiling. I told you we can talk about that when the tournament's over."

"I do need to say something about 'that topic' now."

He kept looking at her. "Okay. Speak."

She looked around his bedroom trying to hide the fact that she was dead nervous about what she was about to say. What she had told Sakura had been true. She loved Kyu. With all her heart she loved Kyu which made it harder to bring the subject. Fear of losing him made her tremble but she needed to do this. "I know you don't like my profession."

He quickly interrupted her. "That's not true. I dislike some of the choices you've made with it but that doesn't mean I don't like it or support you in it."

"Then I will say you don't entirely like my profession as those choices I've made are part of my profession." She quickly said fixing her first sentence.

He sighed but didn't fight her about it. Instead he waited for her to continue.

"I'm…" she sighed. "I don't even know how to say this."

"It's not that hard. Just say what you feel." He simply said.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Is not that easy for me, Kyu. And you're making it harder right now."

He sighed. "It's not, love. Just say what you need to say."

She took a deep breath and nodded. "I'm… I'm not entirely against marrying. It's just that… I know what you want. And it scares me that I won't be able to give you what you want. I worked very hard to be where I'm at professionally and I may sound selfish but…"

He sighed and shook his head. "Meiling, what do you think I want with marriage?"

She stared at him. "People don't marry just for marrying Kyu. After this you'll probably want to start a family and I'm not ready to be a mother. I don't want to have kids but I don't want to lose you either. So what am I supposed to do when you ask to marry me knowing I can't give you what you want?" she sighed. "There, I said it!"

He chuckled at his girlfriend's small rant and shook his head. "Is this all?"

Bothered by his reaction she looked at him. "You're laughing at me? Do you find something funny about my feelings?"

He walked towards her until he was in front of her. He put his hands on her waist and closely looked at her. "Baby, I don't want to marry you just to have kids. I want us two as a couple to be something more than just girlfriend and boyfriend. If I would've wanted to have a kid with you I could've done it a long time ago. Do you think I don't know about you skipping your pills from now and then?"

She was quite surprised with his little confession. "That was before when they used to make me fat." She watched as he rolled his eyes at her comment and finished saying, "And even when I skip I make sure to take the morning after pill just in case."

He chuckled. "I love you." He said before kissing her. He felt her hands around his neck and knew they finally were alright. Most of their fights came because of misunderstandings. It was a constant in their relationship and something they had learned how to fix along the way. He kissed her neck and whispered. "Though I doubt you truly feel like that about kids."

She chuckled. "I mean it Kyu."

He kissed her neck several times before whispering in her ear, "Are you sure? You don't want to see a mini bratty Meiling running around?"

"There's a fifty percent possibility that it could turn up to be a snobby Kyu running around, you know…" she responded to his question.

He chuckled and kissed her lips again. "I wouldn't mind any of the two." He said joking around.

"You're out of luck baby." She kissed him again before saying, "I have been taking my pills without missing a day."

He chuckled. "You know what I'm thinking?"

"What?" Meiling asked before giving him another kiss.

"That coach gave us the rest of the day off probably to rest before the tournament but I'm not sure I'll be able to do that now." He said before giving her another kiss.

She chuckled through the kiss but let herself go and let him lead the way. Almost a month without seeing her boyfriend was already too much for her.

~ o ~

After finishing tonight's preparations, Suri had followed Xian's orders and brought Sakura's things over to the hotel. She placed everything in a suite just like the president had instructed and left the room. She found her boss walking already towards the room and gave her the key. "Everything is in the bedroom. I'll see you downstairs."

Sakura nodded. She grabbed the keys from her assistant's hands and entered the suite. After closing the door behind, she sighed. She had double checked everything for the dinner and was satisfied knowing that everything was in place. The spices, which were luckily the only ingredients late, had arrived just in the nick of time and she had been able to personally supervise that they were in perfect order.

Entering the bedroom, she looked at the bed and narrowed her eyes. 'Great! Leave it to Feimei to choose this type of dress.' She thought as she saw a long red sleeveless dress on the bed. Golden high sandals accompanied the dress on the side. She usually didn't have problems wearing these dresses but tonight it was different. She had been planning on at least keep it small, try to pass under the radar, but now her plan had gone down the drain. From her history with Syaoran she remembered he loved these dresses on her, fact that she was certain his sister knew as well when she chose the dress.

Seeing that she didn't have any other choice, she took a shower and prepared herself for what would most likely be a torturous night. The dress clenched perfectly on her body. It was slightly tight on her upper body and loosened itself on her thighs to fall perfectly loose on the floor. She had left her hair down and put on her makeup as natural as possible for this kind of event. Putting her last earring on, she looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. 'You're doing this for the clients. Just meet them and let's get out of here.' She simply said to herself before heading downstairs.

The small reception had already started when she reached the first floor. She looked around already hating the fact that Xian had asked her to be here. Asked…? More like manipulated her on assisting tonight's event. Even if she had coordinated everything the thought of been here had never allured her one bit. She looked around and noticed people from different places interacting with each other. The only positive thought of the night so far. At least on that account her idea of doing a reception before dinner was a success.

She kept looking around until her eyes landed on him. He had off course already noticed her. The intensity of his stare brought a shock to her stomach and made her look away. She watched as one of the waiters was passing by with glasses of wine. Grabbing one, she quickly drank half of it in one gulp.

"You sure are drinking a lot tonight." Xiefa sarcastically said.

"How long do you think I need to be here for?" She asked.

Xiefa smirked. Already her friend was thinking about leaving when this party hadn't even started yet. "Stop drinking so fast. Father is on his way with the potential clients."

She nodded and took a deep breath. Apparently, she would need a lot of wine glasses after seeing the way Syaoran looked tonight but for now she would have to hold the urge of grabbing another one. He wasn't alone. As he had planned from the very beginning he brought that reporter after all to be his companion for the night… sight that hadn't gone unnoticed by her.

Xian finally approached them and without further a due he greeted both of them before saying, "Sakura, Xiefa, I want you to meet Oliver and Vaunt."

Sakura smiled at them and shook their hands as did Xiefa. "Very nice to meet you."

"It's finally good to meet you Ms. Li and Ms. Kinomoto. We have heard a lot about you two." Vaunt, an elegant man in his mid thirties nicely said. His short brown hair was nicely put back perfectly fitting his business man profile.

Oliver who was also elegantly dressed nodded. His confident air and mustache made him look a little older than Vaunt but his serious business man feature was visible to everyone. In Sakura's perception the one that made the decisions was probably him."I'm very impressed with the work you have done here Ms. Kinomoto."

She smiled gratefully at him. "Thanks but it wasn't all me. Xiefa knows how her father likes things done."

"Yet, you pulled the strings to get it." He said looking at her then turned his head toward Xian, "You truly are lucky indeed."

"I'll take that as a compliment." He smiled politely.

Their funny accents didn't escape Sakura at all as she stared at Xian. She tried to figure out what was he planning now when she heard one of the waiters signaling them to start entering the dinner ballroom. Suddenly Oliver offered his arm to her in an old fashioned way. She curiously looked back at him.

"A lady should never walk inside a dinner hall alone." He nicely said.

She politely smiled and accepted his offer feeling a little uncomfortable but nonetheless grateful as they walked towards their table.

Xiefa entered the dinner hall accompanied by Vaunt and excused herself immediately after reaching the table. Part of her duties for tonight was giving the 'Welcome to China' speech.

Sakura, contrary to Xiefa, sat down on the table next to Xian and Xiefa's empty seat. She accommodated herself in her assigned chair completely conscious that his eyes had been following her all this time. She felt his stare as she walked inside the dinner hall in Oliver's hand. She didn't need to look to know she was right but not resisting anymore she did take a quick look and the sight only made her feel worst. Katherine was whispering something in his ear before flirting her way into touching his chest as she laughed.

She needed to get out. She needed to find a way to leave. Not even the potential clients could keep her mind occupied enough to keep her in this dinner tonight. If she had to endure having to look at that whore at his side then she would rather talk with the potential clients during another time.

Luckily for her, her angry face was hidden by the diming of the lights as Xiefa made her way into the podium.

~ o ~

After dinner, everyone was laughing and talking to one another. Xian noticed Sakura had barely touched her food but didn't say much about it. He simply turned towards her and softly said, "You can go now if you wish."

She looked at him and to not draw too much attention on a low voice she said, "If you don't need me, I rather leave."

He nodded. "I'll walk you out."

She accepted and stood up. He stood up as well and was about to walk her out when he was called from behind.

"Father!"

He turned around to meet his son with a smile on his face.

"I want you to meet Katherine."

Xian curiously looked at her and smiled while offering his hand to greet her. 'Ah! The famous Katherine!' he sarcastically thought before cordially shaking her hand. "A pleasure to meet you."

Sakura stared at Syaoran. She was conscious of Xian shaking Katherine's hand but never took her eyes off Syaoran. She knew why he was doing this. Her dislike for the woman had always been visible to many including him. Although she controlled herself in front of everyone, inside his little game was working. Her many ideas on how to easily get this woman out of her sight never stopped flowing through her mind right now.

Xiefa, who had been watching the entire scene, took this chance to stand from her chair and throw her a conniving smile. "Katherine! I remember you. You were that reporter trying to do a piece on Syaoran."

"Reporter? I don't remember seeing your name on the list." Xian casually said as he looked from his daughter to his son's date.

Xiefa smiled, "That's because she's not on the list father. After careful evaluations she was not good enough to be in it."

"Xiefa!" Xian warned his daughter. He knew how much Xiefa loved a good fight but it wasn't the time or place to have it.

Katherine looked at Sakura and smiled, "If I air that piece, you'd be surprised at how good I really am."

Her little comment made Sakura turn her sight from Syaoran to the petite reporter. The mere thought of still been considered a threat after finding out of their past together brought a small confident smirk to her face after hearing this woman's comeback to Xiefa's words. It was enough to know that she wouldn't hold Syaoran's interest for long but, not minding that, Sakura indifferently turned towards Xian and said, "I am leaving."

"Ah, yes. Well, you'll have to excuse me. I'm walking her over to her car but later on we can all sit and talk a bit more if you like."

"Oh, I'd be delighted!" Katherine quickly said her excitement visible in her tone of voice.

Xian nodded. He put his hand on Sakura's lower back to direct her towards the door.

Yelan, who had been watching everything from the table, stayed silent. She only looked at her son and saw the pain in his eyes. Although she was itching inside to take care of the situation she decided to heed her husband's advice when he told her to let Syaoran handle the situation.

~ o ~

Xian walked Sakura like he said he would towards her car. "You know you're like a daughter to me."

She looked at him. "You've always known how to not interfere with my personal life. I will appreciate if you don't start now."

As they reached her car, Xian sadly smiled at her. He touched her chin so he could look at her face before carefully saying his next words, "Sometimes, fear makes us lose our best things in life but it's always there, we just have to find a way to overcome it."

She got out of his hold and scoffed. "Why are you telling me this?"

"For the first time I've seen fear in your eyes tonight. It doesn't suit you. It's not you." he sighed before casually looking away. "You may leave now. If you need to take tomorrow off you can take it. Just don't come into the office with these eyes. They'll accomplish nothing productive throughout the day." He put his hands in his pockets and smoothly turned around.

Sakura watched him walk away confidently as usual. She opened her car door and got in before starting the ignition and driving away. There were so many things in her mind she needed to clear out.

~ o ~

Suri walked out of dinner hall laughing at a joke her boyfriend Mark had made with some of his teammates. They were holding hands as they walked out to the hallway. From this moment on they supposedly weren't able to see each other until the tournament was over but since she was one of the people organizing this tournament that was easier said than done. As they were walking through the hotel lobby, she saw Syaoran on the bar sitting alone with a glass of what hopefully was water on his hands.

She turned towards her boyfriend and softly stopped him while he was still talking to some of his teammates, "Mark, can you give me a second?"

He looked towards her, smiled, and nodded.

She untangled her hand from his and walked slowly towards the bar. "I wasn't aware that players were allowed to drink while the tournament is on."

He looked at her before rolling his eyes and looking at his cup again sighed. "There's no alcohol in it so it's fine. What can I help you with?" He simply said.

"I wanted to apologize if I have been a jerk to you in the past."

He curiously looked at her not knowing if he could believe her or not. "And this? I'm pretty sure April fool's day was months ago."

She smirked. "Fair enough, but I'm being serious."

He nodded. "Apology accepted." He took a sip of his drink and put it back down on the bar.

"You know, I haven't told this to anyone but I'm really grateful for my boss." She waited for his reaction but at his lack of she continued. "I wouldn't have learned everything I have professionally learned if it wasn't for her."

This conversation suddenly was turning weirder than usual for him. I mean, was there a point to her conversation at all? He was truly tempted to ask her to leave him alone but restrained himself from doing it. Instead, he let her talk.

"One of the things she taught me was to always double check everything before an event happens. It's the reason why her projects have all been so successful. So, I'm guessing tonight will probably be a long night full of working hours since the opening ceremony is tomorrow."

He sighed and looked at her again. "Why are you telling me this?"

She smiled at him before looking at her boyfriend waiting for her. "Because I wouldn't be with Mark if she hadn't helped me when I needed her to." She turned her face to look at him again. "So, I guess you can call it a reconciliation gift from me to you. What you decide to do with it it's entirely your call."

Syaoran saw her smirk before turning around and walking back towards his teammate.

"_So, I'm guessing tonight will probably be a long night full of working hours since the opening ceremony is tomorrow."_

Her words resounded on his mind. He kept staring at her before standing from his seat. He took a bill from one of his pockets and placed it on the bar before walking towards his car.

~ o ~

She walked a couple of steps inside the field and looked around. She was standing right where he would start playing the biggest tournament of his career in a week. She hadn't told him everything the doctor had said that day but it was almost certain that he would be released completely around next week. Knowing how impatient he had been with his rehab there was no telling when he would actually start practicing. In fact she had no doubt he would probably want to start even before the doctor's release so as she relayed the news to his coach she decided to take some precautions. He had agreed with her on not allowing him to play unless it was truly necessary on the first week.

She took a deep breath and crunched down. Thoughts about tonight's little encounter filled her head as she remembered the way he introduced Katherine to his father. She grabbed a few pieces of grass in her hands and put them in her purse as she kept remembering the way he looked. She knew what his purpose had been. She knew why he had done it. Words were not necessary between them to understand his meaning. He hadn't introduced Katherine to his father tonight instead he was sending her a message... This is who I'm choosing to play around with unless you come forward. And he did choose well. She despised the woman from the very first time she met her.

"The field is not part of the promotional events of the tournament."

She didn't need to turn around to know it was him. Standing up, she took a deep breath before replying, "I can't believe this tournament is about to start tomorrow."

"It's late. I can understand me being here. I'm sure you can as well, but why are you here?"

She took a deep breath and tried to quickly prepare herself mentally for what she could find behind her before finally looking at him. He was still wearing his tux which meant he hadn't even been to his room. "Where's Katherine?"

With his hands in his pockets he heard her answer scrutinizing every detail. She had never been easy to read but he was tired of her games. He shook his head and walked enough to stand in front of her but kept watching the field. "I've been to many fields. Most of them have almost the same measurements 105 meters goal line to goal line but playing in each of them brings different feelings. And yet none of those feelings compare to what I feel for you Sak."

She stared at him but didn't move at all. Her instinct was screaming at her to walk away and yet trembling inside after listening to his words she waited.

He turned to look at her. "You ask me to focus on my recuperation, how do I do that if my mind keeps going back to wanting to be with you?"

She tiredly sighed and looked down trying to avoid his eyes. "I don't want this now."

"What's this?" he softly asked.

"This… Us." She said still avoiding his eyes.

"Us?" he softly asked turning completely towards her. "Us doesn't even make sense to me Sakura. Not being together, going out with other girls while knowing I'm hurting you, it doesn't make sense."

She sighed and looked at him. "Can't you just let it go? Can't knowing be enough for now?"

"Please stop this." He almost whispered as he touched his forehead against hers. "You're hurting us both. Do you truly need me to answer that? I want you back and you know this."

She shook her head. "Last time I wasn't enough"

He softly caressed her hand with his fingers. She closed her eyes. "Last time I wasn't ready for this." An electric shock traveled through her body as his hand softly caressed her from fingers through her skin all the way to her neck. He definitely had grown a lot more experienced.

It took quite some effort before she opened her eyes. "There's nothing different between us Syaoran. You have your tournament starting tomorrow."

"Is this the only thing stopping you?"

"I'd be lying if I say it is. There's too much history between us for that been the only reason."

He softly caressed her cheek. "But you also have reasons to want this." He kept caressing her cheeks slowly before stealing a kiss from her. He felt her hands grabbed his but he didn't stop. He kissed her lips softly several times coaxing her to give in until he felt her hands slowly slipping away towards his waist. He tasted her lips several times before he felt her giving in and deepening the kiss.

Moaning into the kiss she broke breathlessly from it. "What about your tournament?" she worriedly asked.

He shook his head before saying, "Let me worry about my tournament. As far as I can tell, if I'm going to win this tournament I rather win it with you at my side than without you." He softly replied before kissing her again.

She felt his arms slowly encircling her waist as he softly pulled her closer to him. She put her arms around his neck before pulling away from the kiss and putting her forehead once again against his. "We need to talk."

"We can talk later." He said before kissing her again.

She broke the kiss again and looked at his eyes. "I'm being serious. We still need to talk."

He looked into her eyes and softly nodded. "You want to talk, we'll talk. But I'm not going back to being without you."

She smiled and softly nodded before feeling his lips against hers again but this time she just relaxed and enjoy the kiss as she put her hands around his neck.

**Author's note:** First of all I wanted to clarify something from the last chapter… Yue is Mark's last name. I did see some of you wrote to me on that matter and I wish to apologize if you got confused by the sudden change. Also, I wanted to end chapter 13 how I ended this one but then as I was re-reading it I found out I was missing a lot of things so it took me longer than usual and in the end had to cut the last chapter in half. But on a much happier note, I was able to finish this chapter just like I wanted to. It took me one more week than I thought but I think it was well worth it. As always, I want to thank you for your opinion on the matter. I feel like knowing the readers thoughts helps me improve each day when writing this story. As for this chapter, I hope you like it as well and please let me know what you think on it.


	15. Chapter 15 - The Meaning of Acceptance

"_**A good relationship is when two people accept each other's past, support each other's present, and love each other enough to encourage each other's future. So don't rush love. Find a partner who encourages you to grow, who won't cling to you, who will let you go out into the world and trust that you will come back. This is what true love is all about." - Brigitte**_

**Chapter 15  
"The Meaning of Acceptance"**

_Last night…_

They had decided to take her car and drive back to her apartment. Since the tournament had officially started, there weren't many places they could go to talk peacefully so after careful consideration her apartment would have to do.

He pushed a small button in her car and an electric gate opened. The place looked a lot nicer than the one he had visited before. He passed a modern like fountain with the weirdest puzzle-like figure on the middle and kept going all the way to the back. Several turns later, Syaoran parked her car in front of an apartment he had never seen before. He couldn't see much of the color as it was pitch dark outside but from what he could make out a variety of bushes adorned the front of her apartment followed by small three step stairs that led to her door.

"I thought you lived at that other place I went to once." He said.

Sakura shook her head and opened her door. "That was Jun's apartment."

He nodded as he watched her getting out of the car. Sakura had been silent most of the drive back home. It was obvious there were a lot of things on her mind but he was glad she had finally agreed on giving him another chance. He got out of the car as well and closed the door before following her inside the apartment.

Yep, definitely this place was a lot nicer than Jun's apartment. It was entirely decorated in a modern way. On the left side from the door a built-in stone fireplace adorned the wall. A white sectional sofa was perfectly located with enough distance from it and a 55" TV was integrated in the other wall of the living room in front of the sofa. Built-in shelves decorated each side of the TV. On the left side a crystal frame with a picture he quite couldn't make out was placed while in the other shelve two small but different size black decorative jars adorned it. A big oval white jar with black swirl fine lines and a green plant adorned the corner of the room. A huge squared shaggy black rug stood in between the TV and the sofa. In the middle, a white round modern coffee table was set with a small green decorative ornament in the middle.

He looked towards his right and a dark brown wooden table was placed in the middle of the space in front of the kitchen. Farther from the table, squared glass windows served as wall on the far end of the dining room. On the corner a glass door gave entrance to a small rectangular pool which was lighted at night. He looked back towards the side of the table and noticed that just like the living room not even the tablecloths were out of place. They were all perfectly set in front of the seats. A white orchid adorned the middle of the table to compliment the entire modern look.

A light grayish marble floor covered the entire space from the dinning/kitchen to the entire living room. One set of stairs could be seen at the end of the living room which he assumed was probably where her bedroom was. He watched her place her keys in a wall near the kitchen before walking towards the stairs. Walking behind her, he followed her upstairs to her bedroom which was also different from what he expected.

Her bedroom was very spacious with marble floor as well. A huge crystal wall covered the opposite side of the door. In the middle of it a door gave access to a small balcony that connected to her room. Inside her room, a dark brown platform bed was placed with the matching set of two night tables at the side. The drawer was set in the wall facing the bed with a circled mirror. To the left was the door to her closet and right besides it the door to her bathroom.

"No pink around your apartment?" he asked after looking around her room.

She looked at him a little nervous but at the same time controlling her nerves. She wasn't used to bringing people to her apartment. Before, she used to live with Jun so most of her friends visited her there. "I outgrew most of it. There are a few things I still have in pink like some clothing but not many."

He nodded.

"There is something you need to know." She walked towards the night table that was closest to the window. Opening the top drawer she took out an envelope and returned to be in front of him. She handed it to him and waited.

"What's this?" he asked looking at her.

"Open it."

He stared at her but nonetheless opened the letter and read the first lines…

_Congratulations! It is a great pleasure for us to welcome you to Japan University..._

He quickly looked at her. He didn't need to read the rest of the letter to know what it was. "You said you didn't want to go."

She stared at him back. "But you did." She walked away before turning around towards him. "When we were together back then I used to dream of having a life at your side. I used to do things questioning whether you would like them or not. My world would revolve around you and I was always conscious of how you would feel after seeing what I'd done. And this letter… I applied because you wanted to play soccer there."

He shook his head regretfully. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I wanted to. I received the letter a week after leaving. My father was kind enough to send it to me here hoping I would return but the only words that kept repeating themselves in my head were yours when in other words you told me I was holding you back."

He wanted to punch himself. His decision had haunted him from the moment she had left and now he could see it had been harder on her. The entire time he had spent on his living room that day thinking about what was best for the both of them had been a waste. He could understand her decision of leaving a lot more even if he still never liked it. "I'm sorry."

She sighed as she heard the words coming from his lips and walked towards him. Caressing his face she looked at him and explained, "I'm not showing you the letter to hear an apology from you. The woman that applied to receive that letter died that night. I don't regret leaving Xiaolang. I found the strength within me to build myself up again. I found out what I really wanted to do and to rely on my own judgment of whether I liked what I was doing or not. When I told you I had changed I meant it. I stopped depending on your judgment years ago and that's not going to change whether we are together or not."

He softly smiled at her, "Good." He softly kissed her before saying, "Because my relationship with that girl didn't work before. I got too greedy and I took her for granted. Knowing that I can easily lose you again is enough to not make the same mistake twice. Seven years were enough."

She smiled and added, "More than enough!"

He chuckled. "Yeah, more than enough." He caressed her face before saying, "I was never with you back then because of what you did. I love spending time with you because of who you are and how you make me feel Sak."

She nodded, "so do I." She smiled and kissed him again. "Although I have to add the way you kiss to that."

He chuckled and embraced her in a hug. "I thought about us a lot of times. I went back in my mind trying to figure out when was it that we started falling apart. What happened between us?"

She separated a little from the hug but kept her head on his shoulder. Looking down, she started to run her hands thoughtfully around his waist before softly replying, "We both wanted too much. We said things we shouldn't have and did things we shouldn't have."

"You mean sleeping together?"

She stared at him before putting her hands around his neck. "I mean a lot of things. I'm not saying it because it was you. I just think we weren't ready. After that night everything went downhill. You wanted more and so did I and at the same time neither of us wanted to concede. We both wanted our own things."

He searched for her lips until he found them and gave her a quick kiss.

Responding, she went back and kissed him again before whispering, "This scares the crap out of me Xiaolang."

He softly chuckled. "Do you think it doesn't scare me?"

She chuckled. "We have to tell the others about us." She said changing the subject.

He smiled and nodded. "We can tell them together although I'm pretty sure Eriol already suspects this since I'm not in the room."

She chuckled, "and your family. We have to tell them as well."

He kissed her neck and whispered, "Mmm… we can skip them if you want. They'll probably find out anyways."

She chuckled, "I still think it's better if they find out through us." She looked to her night table and saw the clock read 1 am. "Mmm you're out of curfew hours already."

"I'll stay and leave early in the morning."

She tensed a little after hearing him, and he took notice of it.

Feeling her tension, he chuckled. "We won't do anything Sakura."

She closed her eyes and smiled, "Sorry."

"Don't be. We'll take this slow." He said as he picked her up and placed her on the bed. He got in as well and hugged her from behind but she quickly turned around and switched positions so that she could lay her head right in his shoulder.

"You've always smelled good."

He smirked, "If I do remember correctly, that day we went to the mall I think Tomoyo had a similar smell on her hand."

She smiled knowingly before saying, "Aren't you tired? I know I am. Goodnight!"

He chuckled but nonetheless put his arm around her shoulder to pull her closer and set his phone's alarm. "Sak?"

"Mmm." She replied already falling asleep in his arms.

"Thank you." He simply said.

She opened her eyes after hearing him and looked at him. "For giving you another chance?" she asked.

He simply smiled at her and gave her a quick kiss before replying, "For coming back to me that day."

She looked at him and tried to smile as something tugged at her heart. Suddenly a sense of suffocation came over her as a thought invaded her mind. She tried to breathe normal to try to hide her feelings from him but wasn't too sure she could be able to. "I think I need some water." She said as she quickly got out of bed and walked towards the kitchen.

He stared at her. The moment he uttered the words he knew something was wrong. He watched her walked out of the room before sighing. There were things left unsaid between them but not everything would be resolved in a night. He knew their relationship would need time but with the tournament starting later on the day he didn't have the luxury of leaving this be. Getting up as well, he walked towards the kitchen. If something needed to be said it had to be now. After getting back with the team he wouldn't be able to sort this out.

It didn't take long to find the kitchen. He walked downstairs and found the only light adorning the dinning side of her apartment. As he reached it, he reclined against the door frame and smirked as he observed each and every detail of her movements with interest. She drank what was left of her first glass of water before quickly filling the next. He knowingly smiled before interrupting her second drink, "What's wrong?"

She took a deep breath before turning around smiling a little. "I was just thirsty."

He shook his head and sighed before walking up to her. "Don't do this. Just tell me what's wrong." He softly said as he caressed her face.

She looked away trying to find a way of phrasing her thoughts without hurting him. Closing her eyes she sighed and placed her forehead on his chest before softly asking, "Do you understand why I didn't want this relationship right now Syaoran?"

He listened to her question but didn't reply to it. Instead he waited for her to finish saying what was truly bothering her.

She looked at him. "Promise me that I won't become a distraction to you again."

He smiled at her and hugged. "I already told you that won't happen."

She shook her head. "I mean it Syaoran. I can't have you depending on me."

"Depend on you?" He smiled and sighed. They may have changed throughout the years but he was glad at least this part of her was still intact. Although sometimes it would drive him crazy… her ways of over thinking things was something he loved about her. "I only said thank you as a gesture of gratitude not depending. We've both gone through a lot of things. If I would've depended on you I probably would've quit seven years ago but I'm still here. I've been playing enough without you in my life to know that this relationship won't affect me inside the field. I do want to see you there but that doesn't mean I won't be able to play without you. So stop thinking about this and if there is anything to worry let me do it."

She stared at his eyes. "Do you mean that?"

He nodded before kissing her again. "Stop worrying." He picked her up bridal style. "Come on, I need to wake up early tomorrow."

She chuckled but nodded placing her head in his neck as she allowed him to take her back to bed.

~ o ~

Morning came in the blink of an eye. Syaoran's alarm had sounded too early for both of them to get cozy enough to have a relaxing sleep on bed. She had woken up with him and drove him to the field so that he could get his car. The drive had been a quiet one as both of them were too sleepy to try to have a normal conversation. She remembered the only words uttered between them were said after she parked her car next to his in the stadium parking lot.

_He looked at her as she parked her car. "Promise me you'll be here when this tournament is over."_

_She smiled as she stared at him and nodded. "I will." _

_He nodded as he got out of the car, opened his, and got in. _

_She watched as he drove away. Many other women could probably say his goodbye had been a cold one but to her it meant something different. It was his way of showing her that from now on he would only be focused on the tournament as she had asked him to. And it was the way she needed it. She needed to know that history wouldn't be repeating itself with them and the only way to do that was learning from their past mistakes and making sure they wouldn't do them again. _

After getting back to her apartment she walked like a zombie back to her room thinking painfully of going back to sleep obviously knowing she wouldn't be able to. Not even a nap was possible for her after waking up. She called it a workaholic's omen. As she started organizing her bed, a shirt fell over from her sheets. She grabbed the piece of cloth and opened it. It was Syaoran's under shirt. 'He must have left it there when I was in the bathroom this morning.' She thought before bringing it to her nose and smelling it. It still had his scent as she smiled before putting it between her pillows.

She had told him this relationship scared her but in fact it frightened her. Syaoran had never been just a simple boyfriend in her life he had been her best friend back then. She had trusted him more than anyone and he ended up breaking her in the end. But at the same time she had to admit she missed him terribly. It wouldn't be easy but just like he said they would take it slow.

She took a deep breath as she walked over to her balcony and stared at the sun rising announcing the morning of a new day. She was happy, for now. They still had things they needed to work on but for now they were okay. It would take both of them for this relationship to work but from her part she tried to prepare for what was probably coming ahead. Saying yes to him had been just the beginning. The fact that he wasn't the same Syaoran anymore dwelled on her as she prepared herself to go to her office.

~ o ~

Just like a pro, Syaoran moved around the hotel unseen and unrecognized by many. He always kept another set of clothing on the back of his car especially for occasions like these. He quickly moved towards the stairs in the corner and immediately started almost jogging up. Lucky for him he was an athlete and although his muscles were already warmed up after going through the fifth floor, he kept going just as he always did till he reached his floor. He opened the stairwell door and looked around to check no one was in the hallway before going straight for his room. He quickly swiped his key and got in.

"Where were you?"

He quickly turned around after closing the door and brought his right hand to his chest surprised by the sudden question. "Shit! You scared me." He said to his cousin.

"Syaoran, this is not just some tournament. You know very well how much it costs us to be where we're at right now. Just because you still can't play doesn't mean you can break curfew just like you've done in past tournaments. You told me this would stop."

He rolled his eyes at his pissed off cousin. "It won't happen again. I just had to break it last night."

"Where were you? And if you answer you were screwing that reporter I will personally go to coach and tell him you came to our room at exactly…" Eriol looked at his watch before finishing his sentence, "Six thirty seven in the morning."

Syaoran narrowed his eyes at him still trying to catch his breath from all the stairs he jogged. "Don't worry, I wasn't." He responded taking his shirt off and on his way to the bathroom. "I'm taking a shower before heading downstairs for breakfast."

It was all he said before Eriol saw him entering the bathroom and closing the door after. Something was off. His cousin seemed different. He actually seemed at ease and in control not joking around as he used to whenever he came back from his one night stands. Which meant something different had happened. He put his bag down and waited for Syaoran to be out of the bathroom.

Syaoran walked inside the shower and cleaned himself up. Finally, he was in peace. She had promised him she would be there at the end of the tournament and for now that was all he needed to hear. After washing himself off he quickly got out of the shower and dried himself with the towel before putting it around his waist. He washed his mouth and shaved his face before walking out of the bathroom.

"So, where were you?"

It was all he heard before looking at his side. His cousin was still there reclined on the hall door with his hands crossed on his chest. "You're still here." He said before walking towards his bag and grabbing his underwear. He put it on followed by his pants ignoring his cousin's question.

"Was it Sakura, then?" Eriol simply asked.

Syaoran grabbed his practice shirt from his bag a little pissed off with all these questions and sighed before looking at him. "Yes, I was with her. Anything else you want to know?"

Eriol widened his eyes and watched as Syaoran kept getting prepared for practice. He couldn't believe it. The topic of Sakura had become some sort of taboo for them since she had left. None of them dared touch it when Syaoran was around. The reason for it… it was a sensitive subject for Syaoran but they were playing the World Cup. Eriol had to be sure which is why he slowly started saying, "The last time-"

Syaoran put his shirt on and interrupted Eriol but this time in a calmed way. "It's not the same." He could understand where Eriol's thoughts were. After all, he could say losing Sakura the first time had caused them the Asia Junior Cup Tournament. Even though no one dared say it he knew better. "We decided to give ourselves a second chance."

Eriol scoffed. "And you thought spending the night with her was a good way to start that second chance?"

Syaoran sternly looked at him. "As a teammate I'll let your question slip this time Eriol because I'm sure you're only worried about the team. As my cousin I'm sure you know Sakura means a lot more to me than just an easy fuck."

Eriol took a deep breath before shaking his head. "I'm sorry man."

Syaoran put his running shoes on and tied them before closing his team backpack and putting it around his shoulders. "We had to talk which is why I did spend the night at her apartment but nothing else happened. We decided to give ourselves a second chance and to take it slow. This is all I'm saying about this."

Eriol nodded knowing how temperamental he was when it came to talking about his personal life and more so when it involved Sakura. He took his backpack as well and put it on his shoulder before following Syaoran out of their room. Sakura had always been his cousin's Achilles heel. She could easily elevate him one day and destroy him the next with just one word which is why in Eriol's case worry was imminent.

~ o ~

After arriving in her office, the first thing she did was to turn on her TV to see the news.

_Last night the Xcape Hotel held the grand opening night dinner for all delegations qualified to play the World Cup here in China. The hotel was beautifully decorated for this international event and the music and entertainment left no doubt in anyone's mind that this whole event was organized by none other than Li Enterprises themselves._

_You are correct Yuri. For years, Li Enterprises name has been linked to famous events that leave memorable impressions to anyone who attends one of these. And the magic certainly was present last night when the opening dinner took place. _

_We interviewed some of the delegations to see how they felt._

Sakura watched the screen calmed and satisfied. 'Second event down, one more to go.' She thought. The tournament was finally opening this week which for her only meant an entire month of restless nights and endless working hours. As per Xian's request, she had left the last couple of things to Suri but that didn't mean she wouldn't have to supervise her work. Every small detail had to be covered no matter whose responsibility it was.

Her office door opened and in came Xiefa. By her smile, Sakura guessed she had already heard the good comments from the reporters on last night's dinner.

"Success number two!" Xiefa said while walking towards her and at the same time watching the news.

Sakura sighed. "We still have one more… The closing ceremony."

Xiefa rolled her eyes at her friend's lack of enthusiasm. "You're beginning to sound like my father. At least rejoice in knowing two of our events have been a complete success before moving to the next one."

Sakura smirked and kept watching the news. "I am happy about last night. I'm just realistic about the fact that we still have a long month ahead of us."

Xiefa sighed. "Talking about the long month…" She stopped talking as the news turned from the event to talk about her brother.

_On some even better news for the fans, Yuri, Li Syaoran has just started practicing with the team. Rumors about this had been circling around but they were finally put to rest today when our camera caught him training with his teammates. Kate is with us from the field. Kate, please tell us more about Li Syaoran's status._

"_That's right Ashley. I am here in the field with his manager Choi. Choi, can you tell us more about Li Syaoran's current status? I know on yesterday's press conference he made it very clear his doctor hadn't fully released him yet. But according to this view we have from the field behind us we see he already started practicing with the team."_

"_Hi. Well, he is definitely feeling a lot better. Like he said, the doctor still hasn't released him fully but he started doing only the basic movements." His manager answered._

"_Do you think we'll be able to see him play that first game on Sunday?"_

"_Well, it all depends on his doctor and how Syaoran feels after training."_

_Kate nodded. "Thank you very much Choi." She turned to watch the camera before continuing. "We also have his coach on my left side to give us more details on his training as well. Coach thank you for seeing us on such a short notice."_

_He looked around and smiled sheepishly before finally looking at the camera and nodding. "Yeah."_

"_Can you please tell us if Li would start playing this weekend?"_

"_Um, I will be perfectly honest with you his recovery has been going really well but his doctor has to approve that final release. I have always said to my players their health comes first. Once he is dispatched then we'll see what we'll do and we'll make the decisions that must be made. For now, our team has been preparing really well to play on the field without him if we have to."_

"_Will you put him to play if the doctor gives his release today or tomorrow?"_

"_Like I said, once that moment comes we'll make the decision but I will also say this. Li has always been a top player. I have no doubt of his recovery but I'm not too keen on exposing him so soon if it's not needed. Our team is not based on just one player. To play this sport, you need eleven players on the field and a good bench to backup any of those players. We have many talented players who can play as well which gives him time to fully recover for when he is truly needed." _

_Kate nodded. "Thank you very much for your time coach."_

"_Anytime." He smiled back at her._

"_Back to you Ashley."_

"The nerve of that coach not putting him to play after all he did to recover." Xiefa commented after hearing the interview.

Sakura wasn't sure when her heart started to rise faster. If it was because of the interview or after she saw Syaoran jogging on the field. She was nervous. He had started practicing a lot sooner than what the doctors had predicted and apparently after seeing the news without the doctor's final release which made her feel worst. "It's a lot better if his coach doesn't have to use him."

Xiefa shockingly looked at her. "What?"

"It's just a thought."

Sakura's office door suddenly opened and in came walking an excited Feimei, with a thrilled Tomoyo, and a smiling Meiling followed by a very scared orange short haired girl. "I'm so sorry Miss Kinomoto. They just walked in without saying much."

"Guess who has the greatest news ever?" Feimei loudly said.

Sakura looked at Feimei and silently sent her a 'calm down' message without having to speak to her before looking at her new assistant. "It's okay Kira. Please close the door for us."

Kira nodded and did as she was told.

"Is that your new assistant by the way?" Feimei asked.

Sakura nodded. She watched as the door closed and looked back at them.

"Feimei, where do you think you are? Behave yourself. Father wouldn't be pleased to hear you doing these kinds of things. Besides, don't you have work in your office?" Xiefa quickly said.

Feimei rolled her eyes at her uptight big sister. "I took the month off. My boss knows my boyfriend is playing in the tournament so I took some vacations." She easily said before smirking. "But never mind me. Go on Meiling, tell them!"

Sakura chuckled already knowing what this was probably about.

"Kyu and I are engaged." Meiling said smiling and showing her ring on her left hand.

Tomoyo squealed happily and jumped around her friend congratulating her again. "This is so exciting. Do you know what this means Meiling? We can actually shop wedding things together. We can go see the décor together, go by places to choose a location for the dinner reception, even the wedding dress." She squealed again. "I can design it for you if you want!"

Meiling looked at Tomoyo. "Remember what I said Tomoyo, we are engaged but haven't set anything yet. Don't go overboard with this!"

"That doesn't matter. If you don't start early you'll feel anxious later on. Besides it's always better when you have help." Tomoyo excitedly replied.

Meiling looked at Sakura who was indeed enjoying the show before sighing and smiling at her friend.

"Congratulations!" Sakura happily said.

"About time too cousin! Eight years without a ring in that left finger can bring concern in our family."

"Oh shut up Xiefa!" Meiling sarcastically responded.

"So, how was it?" Sakura asked.

"Well, we talked yesterday and it so happens that he can't live without me. So for his sake I had to say yes because truly it was so touching when he said it. And the words that he used were so romantic. I mean, even I couldn't say no to his proposal this time." Meiling dramatically explained.

Sakura laughed knowing probably that more than fifty percent of her story had been overly exaggerated but nonetheless enjoyed hearing her friend tell it.

"Without a doubt I must say I have the best boyfriend…" Meiling stopped for a second saying what she was saying and corrected her sentence. "Sorry, fiancé ever."

"Excuse me?" Tomoyo looked at her. "I must stop you there Meiling. No one can beat my Eriol."

"Is that a challenge from both of you?" Sakura's words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself.

Xiefa quickly looked at her curiously, "Do you have someone to put in that race that we're not aware of?"

"Oh! This is just getting better. Isn't this great? What better news than these?" Feimei asked before taking a seat in Sakura's office lounge.

Suddenly another woman came quickly inside Sakura's office as well. She was fighting with Sakura's assistant telling her she was family before finally straitening herself up. She looked at Sakura and smiled. "Hello cousin! How nice to finally see you again after all these years."

Sakura's smile started fading the moment she saw the woman standing in her doorway. Tomoyo and Meiling's surprised gasp didn't escape her either. She knew this would happen. From the moment the dinner party was linked with her name she knew this visit would come in sooner or later. Although if someone were to ask her… she would've rather it be later.

"Sayuri." She replied. Her voice had changed from being a casual tone talking with her friends to be the confident business woman many feared in the business atmosphere. The one that made the decisions, the one that always got what she wanted. Her face void of any devotion, a transformation learned from being involved in thousands of meetings with Xian and one that only Xiefa had seen before because of all the projects they'd done together in the past.

"Kira, you may leave us." Xiefa said without taking her sight off Sayuri. She knew perfectly well who this woman was. Her pale skin and skinny but curvy body perfectly match her modeling career. She was dressed with the latest fashion designs and had been named one of the most beautiful models of this age. Her light brown sandy waved hair was something that drove guys crazy for her. A weapon she knew quite well how to use no doubt. "What brings you here?"

She looked at Xiefa and confidently smiled before walking towards Sakura. "My cousin of course."

Sakura watched her intently. She could read her intention from miles away but, just as she had learned, kept her confident composure. "Seeing you here must mean you know I've been in touch with Syaoran again."

Sayuri smirked. "How is he?"

"Who the heck are you?" Feimei asked from her seat. She didn't understand a thing of what was happening right in front of her.

"Was he able to forgive you after leaving him all those years?" Sayuri asked.

"Why should you care? Was the night you spent with him too memorable for you?" Sakura could see Sayuri's confident smile suddenly falter. Her question had definitely done its work.

"Did he tell you?" she asked.

Sakura took a deep breath before saying, "I know of the night. If that is all you came to say, you know where the door is."

Sayuri narrowed her eyes at Sakura before smiling. "Did he tell you how much he enjoyed it?"

A small confident smile started to appear on Sakura's face. It was clear to her that her cousin had lost all sort of advantage in this conversation. "Is this truly what you've reduced yourself into throughout all these years? Trying to hurt me over a one night stand? From what I've heard you're one in a long list and I still don't see him going back to you."

Sayuri's smile slowly started disappearing. She took a deep breath and smirked before calmly saying, "You've changed cousin. Let's see if history doesn't repeat itself and you go disappearing again. Like you said, I am one in a long list. I'm sure that list can keep getting longer. Just wanted to drop by and say hi now that I am back in China. I'll see you at the tournament." Sayuri turned around and confidently walked out of her office.

"You knew about her?" Meiling was the first to speak after Sayuri left her office.

"How do you know my brother slept with that girl?" Feimei asked still shocked after hearing Sakura speak. "You just recently went back to Japan."

"I told her." Xiefa was the one to speak. "She needed to know."

Feimei furiously stood up from her seat and looked at her sister. "Xiefa! Father has always taught us that spying on family is off limits. Does he know you used a detective to spy on Syaoran while he was in Japan?"

"I'll cross that bridge if it comes and it will certainly come if you don't keep your mouth shut." Xiefa responded.

Sakura quickly intervened between the two sisters. "Xiefa, can you, Meiling, and Tomoyo leave Feimei and me alone for a moment?" she asked knowing she had to talk to Feimei.

Xiefa nodded. "I'll be getting some coffee. Let's go." She said to Tomoyo and Meiling who followed her out the door.

Feimei had always been Syaoran's closest sister which was why this news affected her more than any of the others. Sakura took a deep breath before walking over. Sitting down in front of her she tried to explain, "I know you're mad at Xiefa for this."

"Don't you dare ask me to keep this a secret Sakura because I will hate you for it." She quickly said. "What she did is invasion of privacy in the worst possible way. And what's worst, to a family member. Unforgivable!"

"She didn't do it having a bad intention on her mind. When she came to me with the news I was pissed off as well but at the same time I never stopped her from doing so which means I am equally at fault for this. After she heard the story behind me coming to China, my breakup with your brother, how I left, she was totally against me staying here. She wanted me to know the repercussions of my decision."

Feimei shook her head. "Sakura, she knows this is wrong."

Sakura nodded. "You asked who Sayuri was. Aside from being my cousin, when I was with your brother back then she had always tried to get Syaoran. My father's comments didn't help either and in the end my insecurities took the best of me. Your brother and I fought for about six months before he finally made the decision of breaking up."

She widened her eyes but nevertheless answered. "This has nothing to do with what my sister did."

Sakura nodded understanding her angriness. "I talked with your brother last night. We're giving ourselves a second chance."

She watched as Feimei's face brightened at the news. "Finally!"

Sakura shook her head. "Feimei… I know it was wrong but if it wasn't because of your sister that chance would've ended the minute my cousin walked through that door right now."

Feimei narrowed her eyes at her. "That doesn't make what she did right."

"I know. I'm not saying it was. I'm just asking you not to say anything for now."

Feimei shook her head. "Sakura, if you're giving yourselves a second chance having secrets it's probably one of the worst ways to start."

"We're taking things slow and it's not keeping secrets. I promise I will speak to him about this but for now he needs to concentrate on the tournament. This is one of the things I will have to deal with because trust me, Sayuri is just one of a lot of things we'll have to deal with."

Feimei calmed down and nodded. "Fine. I will keep it as long as he doesn't ask. I'm not lying to my brother Sakura."

Sakura calmly sighed glad that Feimei had agreed on it and smirked. "If you avoid him, he won't ask." She said as casually as she could but in her mind knowing perfectly well that avoiding him was probably the only way he wouldn't find out for now. Being as observant as he was, suspicion was all he needed to quickly figure out there was something going on. And once that happened, usually it never took him too long to figure out what it was especially if family was involved.

~ o ~

The doctor moved his ankle first to the right and then to the left. "Does it hurt?"

Syaoran shook his head.

"How about when you started doing laterals, did you feel anything unusual?"

Again Syaoran shook his head.

The doctor slowly started pushing his fingers little by little on his ankle checking it as he usually did on his checkups. "It feels a little swollen."

"It felt fine on the field." Syaoran casually commented.

The doctor chuckled. "I'm glad to hear that." He looked at his trainer and coach who were waiting at his side looking at the doctor's checkup and waiting on his findings. "The swelling is something normal. It's the first time he practiced so that explains it. Nothing that a little ice won't get back to normal." He said before getting up and putting his things back into his bag.

"So am I cleared to play?" Syaoran asked.

The doctor turned around and instead of speaking to Syaoran he simply looked at his coach. "I'll come by tomorrow to check on it again." He turned his sight to look at Syaoran. "You can keep practicing. I wouldn't recommend you playing a game yet as games are a lot fiercer than practice."

"I just told you it doesn't hurt anymore." Syaoran insisted.

The doctor simply smiled before saying, "I know. You're close so take care." He patted Syaoran on his shoulder and nodded to his coach before walking out of the training room.

"Coach-" he started saying.

"You heard the doctor Syaoran. No playing till he approves it."

Syaoran looked away pissed. The more he thought about it the more he concluded that these people were holding him back. If his ankle didn't hurt him when he practiced he couldn't understand why he needed to sit out on the game. He crossed his arms on his chest as he waited for the trainer to put some ice on his ankle. When he was done, he walked or more like limped towards the bus.

Eriol watched as Syaoran walked towards him with a not-too-friendly face on. He put his backpack in the upper compartment of the bus before taking his seat next to him.

"So, what did the doctor said?" Kyu asked from behind.

"Nonsense." Was all that Syaoran replied as he put on his headphones and closed his eyes.

Eriol looked at him before looking back at Kyu shaking his head. He went back to sitting normal before looking through his window as the bus took them back to the hotel. Syaoran had never been easy to handle. His attitude radiated fear to the people that didn't know him as they did. Words uttered at the press conference where an entire façade on his part. In reality, he just wanted to start playing again.

Eriol smiled to himself as he thought about Sakura being an important piece of his cousin's rehab. A well played card by his uncle no doubt and probably the only one keeping him under control to this day. Even though he was able to start practicing before time he was never satisfied. He just wanted to play.

As they reached the hotel, they all walked out and waited in the lobby for the elevator. Reporters here and there started taking pictures from the moment they walked inside the hotel. Eriol looked around casually and spotted none other than Sakura walking out of one of the salons.

Syaoran felt Eriol's nudge before looking at him signaling something with his head. He followed Eriol's gaze until his eyes landed on Sakura. His mood entirely changed. He watched her talking to an older guy. By the movement of her hands he could easily tell he was a client as she signaled the entrance of the room.

~ o ~

"These curtains can be modified depending on the color you chose for the event. We always like our customers to feel satisfied with everything." As she looked back at Mr. Poe she noticed the soccer team on the background. It didn't take her long to find Syaoran's piercing gaze looking at her. She felt the same jolt she always felt whenever he looked at her like that in her stomach. She started to smile softly before remembering she was actually with a client. Focusing back on Mr. Poe, she listened to him as he carefully started talking about what he needed after all.

"I see. Well I am very well pleased with the salon and have no doubt you will be perfect for the event we're planning. If it's no problem the person I wish to throw the event for will be here soon. I think we could all have some lunch at the restaurant and discuss the details of the event." Mr. Poe said looking at his watch. He looked back up and smiled. "Actually, he just arrived."

Sakura turned to look at the hotel doors and the sight before her made her stomach shrink. Through the doors came a smiling Jun who was walking towards them with his hands on his pockets. Sakura regretfully closed her eyes taking a deep breath before changing her sight towards the floor in front of her. She needed to think and think fast.

"Oh! I'm sorry; I never mentioned it was Jun." Mr. Poe casually said. "I hope is not a problem, is it?"

Sakura simply looked at him and professionally smiled. "No, is not."

Mr. Poe nodded. "Good. Then I'll be asking for our table." He left towards the other side of the hall where the restaurant was located.

Sakura simply waited for Jun to arrive. She read his intention like a pro and when he approached to give her a kiss on her cheek she moved her face it to avoid it.

"I thought at least our friendship meant something to you." He said to her.

She looked at him. "I will let you know from the start so you don't get your hopes high. I will not be taking this event into my curriculum."

He watched her surprised by her reaction. "You think I did this on purpose?"

"I don't know if you did or didn't but my decision is based on the fact that we dated for two years. Obviously, there's a conflict of interest for me if I take this event myself."

"I wouldn't hold that against you."

"That's not for you to say. As a political figure you're not the only one involved in this event. My decision is final." She clearly said leaving no doubt on his mind if he wanted to say anything on the matter. "That being said, I will have this meeting. You'll tell me what you want and I will take notes to bring back to Xian. He can make the decision on whose better suited to coordinate this event."

"What if I want you to take care of it?" he asked.

She simply turned around ignoring his question and walked towards the restaurant.

He watched her walking away and sighed. In reality she was the best suited person to help him achieve what he wanted. He knew this. He looked around and saw Sakura's friends along with Syaoran looking at him. He narrowed his eyes but nonetheless followed Sakura towards the restaurant.

~ o ~

They all watched the entire scene. Eriol turned to hit the elevator button once again hopelessly thinking that perhaps the more he hit the button the faster the elevator would arrive. They had already missed three elevator turns waiting with Syaoran on the lobby.

"You know what we could do? We could all go for a swim. You know… take some stress out." Kyu casually said trying to calm the atmosphere between them.

"We have gym in about an hour." Eriol said.

"Oh! Right."

The elevator arrived and the three of them got in before Eriol hit their floor number. He knew this was bound to happen. From the moment he heard from Syaoran they had gotten back together he knew there was no way of stopping this.

As Syaoran waited patiently for the elevator to take them to their floor, he started contemplating changing his sports career from soccer to perhaps boxing. After all according to his doctor his ankle was still not ready yet to start hitting a ball and he wanted badly to punch Jun's face right now. Why the heck was he in the hotel seeing her again? And why had she allowed it? As the elevator doors opened, Syaoran waited for Eriol and Kyu to get out before pressing another button.

Eriol noticing this held the doors with his left arm. He ignored his cousin deadly stare before sighing. "You asked me once how Tomoyo and I lasted so long. I trusted her the same way she trusted me. Keep that in mind." With that said, he let go of the doors.

Kyu curiously looked at him. "What the heck was that?"

"Some advice before he screws everything up again." Eriol said as he walked towards his room.

Kyu looked from the closed elevator doors to Eriol walking away before following him. "You mean him and Sakura?"

Eriol just nodded.

~ o ~

He waited for the elevator to reach the fifth floor. Putting his headphones back on, he walked towards the hotel gym room. It was the only place he felt he could be right now. Blowing some steam before approaching Sakura about this would probably help him over when having this conversation with her. Fighting with an unclear head was always a bad decision, something he learned quickly after meeting Sakura for the first time.

After talking things over last night, he never thought trust would be an issue between them. Apparently he thought wrong. He could tell Jun wasn't over her and he didn't like the fact that she was meeting him at all. His face when he saw her again was enough to know. But Eriol was right. He needed to trust her.

As he reached the gym, he opened the door and walked straight to the running machine. Hopefully he would be able to at least let go a little of the rage he was feeling inside but didn't vouch much for it. When it came to Sakura not even running was enough. He needed to see her.

~ o ~

She listened carefully to Mr. Poe's idea about the political party he wanted to throw in the hotel just like she said she would. He still didn't know that she had declined the event without too much thought about it but eventually he could find out through Xian. She knew quite well the friendship Mr. Poe shared with Senator Eli which gave sense as to why Jun was here. Nothing he could say could shake the feeling she had of him setting this meeting up.

"Well Jun, how many people should we invite to this?" he asked.

"I think perhaps two hundred." Jun looked at Sakura and asked. "Can we change the room if the list gets a little bigger than that?"

"We can make arrangements if you need them. We can connect the room for one hundred people to the one of two so that the room has enough space to fit all of them."

Jun nodded. "Then I guess the one for two hundred would suffice for now."

Mr. Poe nodded and smiled. "Whatever you need boy, just let Ms. Kinomoto know. If you'll excuse me, I need to use the bathroom."

Jun nodded and waited for him to leave before watching Sakura again. She was simply writing down in her iPad probably their demands and needs for this event just like she had said earlier. He took this chance to try to have a normal conversation with her just like they used to. "I'm sorry for what happened."

Sakura stopped writing and looked at him. "I'm giving Syaoran another chance."

He nodded. "That still doesn't change how I feel. I'm really sorry for what happened. I shouldn't have done that to you."

"Why don't we keep this meeting as professional as it can be." She suggested.

"I need you to know how I really feel Sakura even if you don't want to. I can't keep holding this any longer. You don't pick up my calls you don't answer my texts."

"What's done it's done Jun. You can't change the past."

"I know, but I truly loved you. I still do. I know I made mistakes, both childish and stupid. I should've never let him get between us."

Something about that last sentence didn't sit well with her. "I told you from the moment I broke up with you that my life is my business and mine alone but I will say this just to leave things clear between us. Syaoran respected our relationship from beginning till the end. Not even when he suspected we had ended he dared do anything."

"It's not the same. You're not like most women."

"You're right. I'm not and he knew this as well. You were right to suspect when you found out about our past relationship. Even though I tried to fight for what we had I still had feelings for him. He was not the reason for our breakup. I was. That been said, I will ask you to understand I have reasons enough not to do this event. I will not hurt him in the process even if you need this for your political career."

He stared at her. She had always been a strong woman. Since the moment they met he found her convictions and fierceness attractive. His father always told him it was a rare beauty to find and harder to keep. He didn't know how true those words were till he lost her.

"Ah, where were we?" Mr. Poe asked as he reached their table and sat down.

Sakura started writing in her iPad throwing ideas here and there and answering their questions as they came. She was anxious to finish this meeting and search for Syaoran although knowing him… he had probably over thought this whole meeting already.

~ o ~

He started doing a set of squats slowly. He still couldn't understand why his doctor couldn't just give him his long awaited release already. There was no need to worry. If he was able to practice already why couldn't they understand that he was ready to play?

As he started doing his second set, he saw the door being opened from the mirror. Sakura walked in and closed the door behind her. He simply looked back at the mirror and kept doing his rep till he finished his fifteenth.

"Aren't you overdoing it a little?" she asked as she slowly walked over to where he was and reclined on the machine next to him.

He looked at her. "Are you here to stop me?"

Flirting her way around the question she simply replied, "I wasn't aware I could do that." Seeing the intension on his glare she quickly added, "There are cameras in all corners of this place so I don't think we should be closer than this since we did agree on taking things slow."

He smirked and scoffed. He prepared to do his last squat rep when he heard her question.

"You're not going to ask?" she asked.

Without looking at her and focusing on grabbing the bar and positioning himself he asked, "Do I need to?"

She simply stared at him before he started doing his last rep. "I do hope this is not the reason why you're overworking your body to this extent."

"This is not overwork." He simply said as he started his last rep of squats.

She sighed. "How is your ankle feeling?"

"It's good already. I may get to play tomorrow night."

His answer surprised her. On the interview with his coach this morning it was evident he wasn't playing. Had anything changed and she hadn't been notified of? "The doctor still hasn't fully released you."

"You're well informed. Are you still keeping tabs on me about my injury?"

She smiled knowingly. He was definitely pissed but was obviously trying to hide it. She could have cleared everything up by easily telling him there was nothing to worry about but since he was being a brat about it she decided to still play with this a little. "I'm to be notified of everything till you're fully released. So it's not keeping tabs..."

He nodded as he finished his reps and took some water from his bottle. "I'm ready. So perhaps you can tell the doctor to stop wasting my time and sign the stupid release."

"That's not how it works. If you wanted to be the one making that decision perhaps you should've studied medicine instead of business like your father wanted you to." And she was quite glad for that.

He narrowed his eyes at her and took a deep breath before moving to the next machine. He had forgotten what a smart ass she could really be when she didn't agree with something. "You're not happy with me starting the first game?"

She looked away. "I'm not in the least bit happy of you risking yourself knowing the doctor still hasn't cleared you."

He scoffed. "He doesn't know anything," was all he said before he started his first rep of leg press.

She looked back at him. "He's your doctor. The final word is his."

"I'm the one with the injury, the one that has done the rehab, and the one that started practicing this morning. I can clearly tell you better than him that I'm fine." He said as he did one of his reps a little bothered after hearing her taking his doctor's side.

She stared at him knowing deep down what this meant. He was going to push for playing that first game tomorrow. She hated when he was this stubborn. She continued watching him doing his exercises when the door opened. She looked up to see Xiefa.

"Father wants to meet." She simply said.

Sakura nodded. She started walking towards the door when she felt his hand grabbed her. She turned around and found his lips connecting softly to hers in a quick kiss. Immediately she turned her head to break the kiss and sternly looked at him. She was surprised to see a smirk on his face before he went back to doing his leg exercises in the machine. She scoffed and mentally wrote it on her mind... He would pay for that one.

As soon as she walked out of the room she heard Xiefa's first question of probably a thousand she would start doing now thanks to his little stunt back in there.

"So, since when do you say goodbye to my brother that way?" She mockingly asked while texting on her phone.

"It's actually the first." She answered as they kept walking towards the elevator.

"Oh really! My my..." Xiefa sarcastically answered and smiled knowingly. Knowing her brother he had done it with all the intention in the world of letting her know that they probably were going out again.

Sakura heard Xiefa's words and narrowed her eyes. 'Oh! He will definitely pay for this one.'

"If that is the case and let's say it would be a normal goodbye from now on…" Xiefa walked inside the elevator and waited for Sakura to enter before getting out her elevator key and pressing the roof floor. "You will definitely hate the news I have for you."

Sakura watched the pressed floor button before looking at her. "Why are we going to the roof? I thought you said your father wants to meet."

"Yeah… You remember that reporter Syaoran introduced to father the other night?" Xiefa asked knowing perfectly well Sakura knew who she was talking about. She sarcastically chuckled before clarifying her statement. "Last night… actually."

Sakura rolled her eyes at her not wanting to be reminded of that woman any longer and sighed. "Is there a point to this?"

Xiefa nodded. "That woman just released your past connection with my brother publicly. As of now, there are more than a hundred reporters waiting downstairs and more coming in. So, since father hates waiting, we're leaving on the helicopter."

Sakura regretfully closed her eyes before looking straight forward to the elevator closed doors thinking about the headache that was quickly building itself up in her head. First her cousin, then Jun, and finally the cherry on top of an ice cream… a woman she barely tolerated.

"Don't even bother about the gym video. I already texted Suri to grab it ASAP but meanwhile you can tell me since when are you back with my brother. After all we still have about twenty minutes before we reach the office. I'd be honored to be the first one to hear the juicy details of your long awaited rekindling love life." Xiefa said as the doors opened to the hotel roof.

Once again Sakura could hear the sarcasm in her tone before following her out. Things definitely couldn't get worse.

**Author's note:** Well, here's chapter 15. Hopefully you guys like it and let me know how you feel about it. Thank you to all of you who reviewed my last chapter. Love reading feedback to improve. I really appreciate it. I know some of you have asked me how many chapters this story has. And my answer is I can't say for sure yet as each time I keep re-reading what I already have I start adding to the story so I really can't say. But I will say this story is more than half way done. Hopefully that will suffice for now.


	16. Chapter 16 - Let the Games Begin

"_**There are two people you'll meet in your life. One will run a finger down the index of who you are and jump straight to the parts of you that peak their interest. The other will take his time reading through every one of your chapters and maybe fold corners of you that inspired them most. You will meet these two people; it is a given. It is the third person that you'll never see coming. That one person who not only finishes your sentences, but keeps the book." – Author Unknown**_

**Chapter 16  
"Let the Games Begin"**

_And on to entertainment news Yuri, as of last night we still haven't received word from either Li Syaoran or Kinomoto Sakura regarding the rumors that are running around in the social media. According to an anonymous source, the couple has been involved romantically in the past. We still don't have many details on this as neither of them have confirmed or denied the rumors but a photo has been leaked through social networks and is currently running around the internet. _

Meiling watched the news as a picture was presented and been given a close up on TV. It was a picture taken eight years ago where Sakura was hugging Syaoran from behind. They were both smiling as Syaoran proudly held a trophy on his hand. "That heinous bitch!"

"Meiling! Language!" Yelan loudly said in her living room.

Meiling grimaced before regretfully replying, "Sorry auntie."

_What it's certain Yuri is that Ms. Kinomoto was indeed at Li's side a month ago when he suffered a serious injury that almost restrained him from playing this tournament. For those of you who are not too familiar with the business world, Ms. Kinomoto is one of the most acclaimed project managers Li Enterprises has and works very closely with the company's President Li Xian, who is also Li Syaoran's father. It has been previously said that these two had met through his father but this picture put those rumors to rest as it is confirmed that they at least met years before this year._

~ o ~

Sakura heard the news and took a deep breath. As of now, about fifty reporters were gathered around her apartment and after peeking through her office window apparently some of them had decided to invade the outside parts of the office building as well. The news of her being the only serious woman romantically linked to famous hot star soccer player Li peeked reporter's interest like crazy. But she wasn't worried for her safety. What concerned her more was Syaoran in all of this. She had talked to him last night and even though she tried to convince him that she was fine she could tell he was still worried before hanging up.

"_You promised me I had nothing to worry about when it came to me being a distraction to you once again." She said._

"_This is not about you being a distraction for me Sakura. Reporters can get a little aggressive when they want information that you're not willing to give them." he calmly explained._

"_So you just want me to agree with everything?"_

"_That's not what I'm saying." He quickly said._

"_Then what are you saying?"_

_He hesitated before answering, "Maybe you can consider staying at my parents for the rest of the tournament."_

_She scoffed. "That would be the same thing as agreeing with what they're saying."_

"_And what from what they're saying is not true Sak? We dated. For seven years you have been my only serious long-time relationship and right now we are dating again. Even if we haven't had our first date yet…"_

_A soft smile appeared on her face after hearing his comment. They were dating again. The words alone brought goose bumps through her hands and not from being afraid but from longing._

"_Look Sak, I know what these reporters can do. You may have heard about their behavior or haven't but you still haven't been through dealing with these people. I just… I don't want you to get hurt."_

"_Fine. I'll think about it."_

"_Please consider it. Don't just tell me that so I back down from this. I won't be calm until I know you're safe."_

She listened to the ending sounds of her coffee maker announcing her coffee had just finished brewing. Turning around, she walked towards her mini bar and served herself a cup. She knew this was coming. The moment she had decided to give him another chance, reporters would suddenly invade her life. Her privacy would suddenly change from having boundaries to been all over the news unless she learned how to handle this. She thought deeply on his proposition. She had never had trouble staying at the Li's before, but just like she had explained to him last night going to their house would only mean she was publicly accepting the rumors.

Another thought entered her mind as she took her first sip from her cup… Sayuri... her dear cousin had decided to pay her a visit yesterday. Believe it or not she had actually calculated she would be seeing her much sooner. From the moment she had decided to run away she had hoped not to see her again. It was one thing from her hometown she definitely didn't miss. All childhood memories she had from her cousin had nothing good in them.

Since her parents abandoned her, she had been living with Sakura and her father. You would think that by living together they would be closer but it was entirely the opposite. Sayuri had turned out to be a conniving envious person. In front of her father she was the exemplary innocent kid who always did things to be in his favors. Then when he would turn around she would try to put Sakura down as much as possible.

She had become a model just like her father had predicted years ago. Her flirty ways around men and light playful attitude fitted the mold perfectly. She had always tried to get in between her relationship with Syaoran before which is why she had expected to see her from the moment her name had been linked with Syaoran's rehab. And yet to see her again brought a sour taste to her day.

This created another thought in her head… Syaoran's reaction. She knew he wouldn't be too happy in knowing she knew of his past without it been told by him. His secret, perhaps his darkest regret, she knew. The moment she had decided to walk away years ago she made herself disappear completely from his life. She made sure to cut off all communication with everyone that could endanger her hideout. She had stayed with his family with the only condition that he wouldn't know of her presence in here. She had done every possible thing she could do to detach herself completely from her past and yet she knew about his.

It was true Xiefa had sent a detective to stay on top of her brother's situation back then. She remembered sometimes his family would try to get a hold of him but their attempts turned out to be unsuccessful so she grew tired of waiting for him to call back. Speaking with Meiling or Eriol didn't help either. Both of them tried to hide the real situation when speaking with the family which was the real reason why Xiefa had decided to take things into her own hands. When she saw the truth behind the situation she decided to make Sakura as miserable as her brother was by telling her every little bad thing her brother did until that forsaken night happened.

She walked towards her desk and pressed a button. "Suri, come in here."

"Coming!" she heard from the other side before two girls walked into her office. Since Suri would soon be taking her own jobs they had decided that Kira would follow her around everywhere she went so that she could learn exactly how to be a good assistant to Sakura. They both walked in with an electronic notepad on hand waiting for instructions. "Yes?"

"Find out where my cousin is staying." Sakura simply said.

"We've searched all her code names throughout our hotels and nothing came up with those names." Kira commented.

Sakura took a deep breath and looked at Suri. "Find out where she is. Walking into my office yesterday was no coincidence."

Suri nodded. "Will do. Let's go Kira." She said before walking back out and closing the door after.

'After so much pain, this is where we're at now.' She smiled a little at the thought as she heard her phone ring and answered. "Are you here?"

"Entering the lobby!" Feimei excitedly answered.

Sakura sighed. She drank what was left of her cup before leaving it on her desk and taking her bag to walk out. She had compared the pros and cons of the situation like she would do in any business proposal and in the end decided to take her boyfriend's suggestion only modifying it a little. Instead of staying with his parents, she decided to stay temporarily with his sister until the tournament was over.

~ o ~

They saw Sakura walked out of her office and into the elevator. Kira sighed and sat down on her chair a little frustrated after hearing what Sakura had asked for. "We spent hours searching for this yesterday because you said she would probably ask for this and found nothing. I'm not sure why we have to keep searching."

"First lesson of today Kira, your job is not to question Sakura's instructions or tell her what we did. Your job is to get her what she's asking for. If she's saying find out where her cousin is staying nothing else matter but the name of the hotel where she is staying even if the hotel is not ours."

"But how are we supposed to know that? We searched all her code names and nothing came up."

Suri put a list of hotels with their phones in front of her. "Start calling these and ask if any of her code names are booked in their hotel. Start with the ones that are closer to where the guys are staying."

Kira saw the entire list and rolled her eyes but nonetheless picked up the phone and started calling places.

~ o ~

"You're not going to the gym this morning?" Eriol asked.

Syaoran put his hands on his pockets as he waited for the elevator and shook his head. "We have a game tonight."

Eriol stared at him before looking at the closed elevator doors as well. "That's never stopped you before."

"Hey guys!" Kyu said while walking towards them. "Going down for breakfast?"

They both noticed Kyu and Syaoran nodded. Eriol looked at Syaoran again before turning to see the elevator had arrived for them. They waited for the doors to open and walked inside as Kyu pressed the lobby floor. Something indeed had changed in his cousin. His bad temper had left him. Even with his current situation his face seemed calmed and composed with a look of determination.

"Congratulations man!" Kyu casually said while sheepishly smiling.

Syaoran looked at him. "For?"

"It's all over the news. You and Sakura again? Wah! About time too!" he simply replied.

"I'm not sure that's something to be celebrating Kyu…" Eriol said.

Kyu looked at him. "Why not? The three of us including him knew he wasn't over her from the moment we saw her for the first time again. I was actually hoping for it to be sooner."

Syaoran chuckled.

"Have you talked to her?" Eriol asked.

Syaoran nodded. "She's staying with Feimei for now. We'll see what happens."

"Ah… the six of us back together in England. Who would've ever thought we would be reunited again after seven years?" Kyu carelessly said smiling. "Just like old times…"

Syaoran looked at him and smiled at the thought but decided on not saying anything. There were so many things left unsaid between Sakura and him it was impossible to know what her decision would be right now.

"The six?" Eriol asked. "Maybe five. I'm not sure you have convinced your recently fiancée to go live with you on England."

Kyu shook his head and smirked. "Don't worry. I'll let you know the verdict after fighting with her."

Eriol chuckled. "I still can't believe you proposed to her while fighting."

Syaoran also joined the laugh. "Not even that he's engaged."

Kyu smirked at Syaoran. "I wouldn't be laughing if I were you. Eriol is getting married next year, mine finally said yes even if it took her a little while. I mean… let's be honest, Meiling is a feisty one… but Sakura… ufff!"

Eriol laughed as well. "I have to agree on that one."

Syaoran sighed and confidently said, "I'm not worried about it at all."

The elevator signaled they'd arrived to their destination and they waited for the doors to open. The first to react was Syaoran whose smile started quickly fading away as an astounded look adorned his face after seeing the least person he expected to see in front of him. "Sayuri!"

Eriol and Kyu stopped laughing immediately which let Syaoran know they were as surprised as he was of finding her in front of them. He had heard she was traveling around but he had never imagined in a million years he would find her in the hotel they were staying at much less knowing that his sister and Sakura had a lot to do with the coordination of this whole tournament.

"Hello guys. Long time no see." She sincerely smiled after looking at them and looked at Syaoran. "I heard you were hurt in the news. How are you feeling?"

Syaoran stared at her not knowing exactly what to say. He wanted to say and ask too many things right now but decided on simply answering her question. "I'm good now. Thanks for asking."

She smiled and nodded. "That's good."

"Are you staying in the hotel?" he asked.

She nodded and softly added, "My boyfriend is a soccer fan. He wanted me to watch this tournament with him. So, we'll be rooting for you guys!" She gestured that last part with a punch she formed in her hand in a cheerful way.

Syaoran smiled a little and nodded. "Thanks."

"Yeah, thanks!" Kyu added getting into the conversation. "I'm sorry to say this but we really have to get going now or else we'll be late for breakfast."

Sayuri nodded. "I understand. Well, see you guys around." She waved her goodbye and walked past them to get into the elevator which to her luck had opened for the third time since she had been talking with them.

They waited for the doors to close before Kyu broke the silence between them. "Of all the people we can encounter we actually have to see her here… I wonder how she got past your sister and Sakura's eyes…"

"She probably used one of her code names to book a room here. It's what all famous people do." Eriol answered.

Syaoran shook his head. "She probably is staying under her boyfriend's name." At Kyu and Eriol's lost face he added, "Sakura probably knows all her code names by now. There's no way she would've been able to book any of the rooms with any of those names."

Kyu chuckled and sighed. "Oh, this just keeps getting interesting. Maybe we should all go for popcorn and wait on the lobby for that moment when Sakura sees her in this hotel."

Eriol chuckled as well shook his head. "I think we may need more than just popcorn for that one."

Syaoran didn't say anything. Instead he just started walking towards the restaurant since they would actually be late in a couple of minutes. He wasn't interested in formulating ideas on how would Sakura take this. Sayuri had never been a mean person towards him in fact she had always been nice even to talk to but he knew what it meant to see her here. Not even the fact of her having a boyfriend would save her from the storm that was coming when Sakura were to find out that she was staying in the same hotel as him. He sighed. He needed to concentrate on this tournament and that was exactly what he was going to do.

~ o ~

"You don't need to be on the field yet, right?" Feimie asked while driving. She had picked up Sakura at her office and wanted to make a quick stop before taking her to the apartment.

"Depends…" she simply answered.

"Depends on what? It's almost ten thirty in the morning and the game is at six. How early do you need to be there?" Feimei asked.

"At two." Sakura simply answered.

Feimei scoffed still looking at the road. "Not even the players are supposed to arrive at two."

Sakura sighed. "I may not play but I'm in charge of the VIP rooms so… at two it is."

"Do you mind if we stop for some ice cream?"

Sakura looked at her. "Now? Since when do you have ice cream as breakfast?"

The light pole turned red on the street and Feimei waited for the car to come to a complete stop before looking at her. "Well then, do you want to stop at some place to have breakfast and then I can have my ice cream?"

Sakura curiously looked at her and asked, "Are you pregnant?"

"No!" she quickly answered. "Is it so bad to want an ice cream right now? Jeez!" she said as the light turn green and she started driving again. "Meiling and Tomoyo wanted to do something in the morning so I suggested ice cream."

"Are you absolutely certain you're not pregnant? I might not want to be staying with you if you're holding something like this from your brother…"

Feimei laughed and rolled her eyes. "Oh please! I AM absolutely one hundred percent sure I'm not pregnant."

Sakura chuckled. "Let's just go and have breakfast. Who knows… perhaps you'll be able to get your ice cream while I actually eat breakfast."

"Since when are you eating breakfast? Usually is a toast with jam and a cup of coffee or just the coffee which in my books none of them are considered good enough morning breakfast."

Sakura sighed. "Just because you don't consider them breakfast doesn't mean they aren't. A cup of coffee is good enough for me."

Feimei nodded. "Then text the girls and let them know we'll stop by for breakfast. See if they want to come although I still prefer my ice cream idea."

Sakura chuckled but still texted the girls to meet them at a small coffee shop down the street.

"Have you talked to my brother?"

"If you're referring to Xiefa's little inspector gadget ways to spy on him then the answer is no."

"I was actually referring to his little friend the desperate reporter who kicked you out of your own apartment by displaying and releasing your 'so awaited relationship' by some into the media and using your personal information against you."

Feimei's way of dramatizing everything made Sakura smirked. "That reporter doesn't concern me anymore. If the idea was to hurt me then she failed entirely."

"I'm not sure the idea was only to hurt you. She's been gaining a lot of followers in social networks by releasing that. In other words, she's been getting famous at your own doing."

"How is this 'my own doing'?"

"If you don't do anything, then yes… your own doing."

"If I do anything right now with that one Xiaolang's going to get pissed. So my hands are tight for now."

"You think he would take her side?"

They reached the place and Sakura waited for Feimei to park the car before opening her door. "I don't think he'll see it as taking sides. I think he'll be more preoccupied with the way I'm thinking of handling it."

Feimei sighed. She got out of the car and followed Sakura into the small restaurant. "You're not the same. He knows that and he needs to understand that if he loves you he'll have to accept this side of you as well."

Sakura looked at her friend before walking into the restaurant where the girls were already waiting for them with smiles on their face. They walked over to them. "You guys sure got here fast." She commented.

"Well, Meiling drove." Tomoyo said not too comfortable with that.

Sakura smirked as she took her seat. "I see."

"Is it true? Are you back with Syaoran?" Meiling quickly asked.

Sakura chuckled but nodded. "We wanted to let you guys know together but apparently someone else decided to make it public."

"Oohhh this is so exciting!" Tomoyo said clapping her hands not containing her enthusiasm after hearing the news.

"About time! Since when?" Meiling asked.

"Two nights ago." She simply said before taking a look at the menu.

"The dinner night?" Meiling asked. "I don't remember Kyu telling me he had time after dinner." She looked at Tomoyo for confirmation but all she received was a shake of her head and a shrugged from her shoulders.

"They didn't." Sakura simply said not wanting to go into too much detail.

"Does this means you're over the Sayuri night?" Tomoyo casually asked. "I mean, you already know about it."

"That's right!" Meiling added. "No wonder she went to your office yesterday. She must know about you two getting back together!"

Feimei suddenly looked at Sakura as she stopped looking at the menu and spoke, "It means we're giving ourselves a second chance. We still haven't talked about Sayuri."

In the past Feimei had always heard about Sayuri from Sakura. It had always been a sour subject to speak about because she was her cousin after all and none of the things she did benefited Sakura at all. From what she heard, she was one of those people who were never content with what they had in their lives so she wanted to always get what others had.

Feimei quickly smiled and sighed changing the subject while looking at her menu. "Well, what do you know… this place do sell ice cream."

"Ice cream in the morning?" Meiling asked. "Are you pregnant?"

Feimei narrowed her eyes at her cousin for a moment before looking at Sakura who in turn was smirking. "You know… you never told me how you got my brother to agree on me dating Xiun."

Sakura chuckled and sarcastically replied, "It's called talking…? I recommend you try it once in a while before actually doing things. And just for the record, I believe I told you with months of anticipation to do so."

Feimei smirked and in a sweet sarcastic voice replied, "Oh… and here I thought that it was because you had him wrapped up in your fingers since long ago…"

Meiling laughed and smirked. "That could also pass as an answer."

Sakura rolled her eyes at both of them. "As a matter of defense, your cousin," she said while turning from looking at Meiling to Feimei, "who is also your brother, is hard to actually convince when he's so bent on something."

"And yet… you seem to keep accomplishing that difficult task…" Tomoyo added while chuckling.

Sakura sighed. "I thought at least you would be on my side Tomoyo…"

~ o ~

After having breakfast with the girls she asked Feimei to drop her at the stadium since she had to meet with the soccer coach before tonight's game started. She said her greetings and followed him to the locker room. Suddenly she felt all eyes on her from the moment she walked past the locker room doors till the moment she stood in front and waited at their coach's side. She noticed most of them were half dressed as in most of them were missing their shirts and she smiled at herself as a thought ran through her head. 'A room full of half naked men is exactly what I need.'

"Boys!" He loudly called and waited to have their undivided attention. "Ms. Kinomoto here has an announcement for all of you."

While the coach gave the announcement she smiled after hearing a couple of them whistling flirtingly towards her. Something her new pronounced boyfriend gladly narrowed his eyes to and she enjoyed every second the intensity of his glare increased unmistakably. 'Serves him right for yesterday...' She thought as she got prepared to make her announcement. "Mr. Li has asked the hotel Spa to give you a full body massage tomorrow compliments of the hotel. You may go throughout the day. I gave a list to your coach with available hours. You are all welcome to take this offer including the staff. The Spa can attend three of you at a time so please sign up with your coach after choosing the hour you will attend." She looked at the coach and he nodded before she turned to watch the rest of the team again. "All of you can start signing now except Li." After saying this, she amusedly looked at him. "You're going to the infirmary with me. "Any questions?"

He scoffed. They had such a wonderful phone talk last night... What the heck was her problem now?

"Yes, will you be doing any of the massages personally?" One of the guys answered as he sheepishly chuckled.

"Yeah, sign me up any time she's giving it." Another one commented.

"Are you done with the stupid questions Zai?" Syaoran snapped back at the boy.

The rest of the guys backed down while their coach rubbed one of his hands through the back of his head and apologetically smiled at her. "Never mind them Ms. Kinomoto. We'll fill out the form and leave it at the reception tonight. Please give our thanks to Mr. Li."

She nodded. "Li, please follow me. The rest of you we hope you enjoy your spa." She said before walking out.

He followed her out the door. He watched her back as he followed her. After several more steps he finally asked, "With so many employees under you was it truly necessary for you to make that announcement yourself?"

Syaoran had always been the jealous type. It was something she had been counting on from the moment Xian had told her about the gift for the team. Not wanting to miss this chance she volunteered to make the announcement herself. To find the other guys half naked was just an added bonus. Even if he tried to sound as normal as possible she could still hear the jealous tone throughout his question which made her smile and innocently asked, "You think it was unnecessary?"

"Yes!" he quickly answered.

She amusedly smiled to herself before replying, "Mmm... Kind of like that kiss you gave me in front of your sister yesterday. Isn't it?" She said as she looked back at him enjoying the moment.

He smirked. "Well, you did say you wanted to tell them together."

She scoffed. The nerve of him trying to put the blame on her for his little act yesterday. "Last time I checked, telling them is not the same as kissing in front of them."

He smirked as he kept following her. "Come on Sak! Don't tell me you've become this vengeful over a little kiss..."

She shrugged and innocently said, "Fine, I won't. Then let's just say it was a direct order from your father. I can't say no to my boss. Can you imagine if I had?"

He scoffed. "Like you haven't said no to him before."

To this she smirked as she opened a door and walked in. She waited for him to enter before closing it.

The emptiness of the place was a clear indication the tournament hadn't started yet. He could imagine given a couple of hours this place would probably fill itself up with rehabs and prevention therapies players liked to do to be able to last the entire month. "This infirmary is missing a few people… Where's the doctor?" He said before turning towards her.

"He'll be here shortly." She simply answered.

The small smile that appeared on her face confirmed his suspicion that she had before hand planned this. It made him smirked again. "I can't imagine my father would leave me out of a spa gift."

She shrugged. "I never said he would leave you out, only that you couldn't sign while your team is signing right now but if you want the spa so badly I can always get a voucher for you." She turned around and opened the door when she felt him close it for her.

"Where are the cameras in this place?" he asked from behind her.

This was the second time he pulled the same move on her only this time she had actually been looking forward to it. She turned around and smirked. "There off."

He stared at her and deviously smiled. "Tease."

"Player." She quickly replied.

He stared at her confidently smiling to himself. This woman never seized to amaze him. "You know, if you wanted to have me all for yourself you could've just rented one of the rooms in the hotel. It would definitely feel more comfortable than in here."

She smirked after hearing his arrogant comment. He was so irritatingly hot she could easily see how many women had fallen before him and yet, "What kind of woman do you think I am? One of your Barbie doll fans who'll do anything you want?" She playfully narrowed her eyes at him before asking, "What exactly am I to you?

He smiled while caressing her face. "You're the light of my life."

She sarcastically chuckled, "The light of your life is not too happy to hear you wish to play in tonight's game."

Suddenly the playfulness left his mind. He stared at her and swallowed. Sakura had always been his soft spot. She could be sweet and playful and in mere seconds turn to have you backed up against a corner. Knowing full well this was an entire conversation he didn't want to start with her he tried to change the subject. "What did Jun wanted the other day?"

She smirked. "I thought you didn't want to talk about Jun."

He sighed giving away the fact that this topic was indeed not one of his favorites. "I am a hundred percent certain I could come up with a lot of better ways to spend this time with you than talking about your ex-boyfriend Sakura but then I keep wondering what he wanted this time."

"Ex-fiancé actually." She said correcting his words. Even though she knew this was a sour subject for him she needed to come clean with this. It was obvious the mere mention of Jun bothered him and that day's event was probably still fresh on his mind.

He rolled his eyes at her. "We can call him ex-puppy if you want and it would still have the same meaning for me. What does he want?"

"You want a trade?" she sweetly asked with an innocent mask on her face.

He chuckled and smirked. "I'm smart enough not to do this kind of trade with a business woman much less with your reputation."

She smiled but nonetheless answered his question. "He wants to have an event in the hotel."

He sighed and stared at her. "If he only wanted to have an event in the hotel he could've gone to the office and requested one. And yet he went to you."

She mockingly looked at him. "Is that jealousy I hear in your voice?"

He scoffed and arrogantly looked away. "Li's don't get jealous!"

She chuckled at his childish way of answering and sighed. "You're right. He wanted me to coordinate the event as well as give him another chance." She watched as the amusement left his face as he looked at her again but before he could say anything she added, "Which is why I turned the offer down."

He stared at her. "Isn't this a good opportunity for you?"

She turned from him to look down at her phone. She had received a text from the doctor stating that he was on his way. "It is, but is not something I'll regret." She looked at him again. "I've already done enough political events in my career to fill my portfolio. I don't need one more and much less knowing how much it pisses you off."

He took a deep breath and as if he was going to regret his next words, he said in a lowly voice, "If it's because of me you can do the event."

She chuckled. "Do you see eagerness in my face when the opportunity to coordinate a political event comes by? Besides, once this tournament is over I do have other plans that don't involve working." She flirted her way into walking closely pass him. She slowly sat in one of the medical stretchers to wait for the doctor while keeping her eyes on him.

He watched each and every little movement she made with hawk eyes and smirked before walking towards her. "I forgot how sneaky you are too." He said before kissing her. He found her two arms encircling themselves around his neck and savored the moment before breaking the kiss. "I trust you included me in your plans as I'm not planning on leaving your side once this tournament is over."

She smiled while she caressed his arm and sighed. "Can I persuade you not to play tonight?"

Once again his face changed when she brought the subject up. Sighing he looked away. "Sak-"

She placed her hand under his chin and made him looked at her. "It's not that I think you can't do it I just feel it's not necessary. You've already come this far. It won't kill you to at least wait till the second game."

"You don't believe I can do this?" Syaoran asked her.

"It's because I know that you can that I am asking you not to do this."

He sighed. "Decisions inside the field are mine and mine alone Sak."

She sweetly smiled at him. "I know... which is why I asked if I could persuade you from playing…"

He shook his head and untangled himself from her hands walking away but not too far as he looked at her again. "We talked about this. You asked me not to depend on you and I'm asking you to do the same."

She stared at him. It was obvious her plea had indeed bothered him and she could understand why but that didn't help her nerves every time she thought about him playing so early. "It's not the same. I'm not asking you because I depend on you I'm asking you because I worry for you. You never give just fifty percent in what you do, you always give a hundred and that hundred right now for a game that can be won by your teammates could have you back in a hospital."

"Don't worry about me."

She questioningly looked at him. She got out of the stretcher and walked straight to him. "Can I do that? Look into my eyes and tell me I can do that." After waiting for him to say something she sighed. "I believe the doctor will finally release you today and I know it's your decision but don't ask me not to worry."

He nodded before embracing her in a hug. Close to her… that's where he felt the peacefulness and calmness inside him. Although he was pissed about having this conversation, holding her in his arms soothed him as he softly said, "I won't play if it's not necessary but if my teammates need me I'll ask coach to put me in. It's the decision I made two nights ago not because of you but because that's how I felt and still feel about this. I respect your decisions even if sometimes I don't like them so I will ask you to do the same. Don't ever do this again Sak." He felt her nod before he looked at her and softly kissed her. He felt her arms around his neck as he took his time savoring her sweet taste until he felt her moan. He finished the kiss breathless and hugged her sighing. "You truly are something else."

"I'm sorry." She softly said enjoying his arms around her.

"Will I be seeing you again?" he asked.

She smirked. "I don't think you're supposed to. Not at least till the end of the tournament I believe."

"You could stay at the hotel? I can tell you I wouldn't mind…"

She chuckled and separated a little to look at him. "Even if I did, I don't think you're supposed to. You even have curfew… I wouldn't want to be a temptation to you." She playfully said.

He smirked. "And what makes you think you aren't one already?"

She smiled after hearing him and looked away. She felt him closer as she returned to look at him again and found herself tasting his lips. It was exactly what she had wanted yesterday and instead she had received a chaste kiss with a tail of problems following it. She wouldn't admit it to him, not yet anyways, but she needed his kisses. From the moment she saw him in that elevator again she had wondered if his lips would feel the same, if his kisses would be different. Now she could say they were far better than how she remembered them.

~ o ~

She walked out of the infirmary a little happier than when she walked in. Even if they had one of their little arguments in the end she heard the exact words she wanted to hear from him hence her good mood… he wouldn't be playing today. Not to mention those fabulous kisses he gave her sent her into lala land in mere seconds. Just like she had expected, the doctor had finally given the release for Syaoran to play. Now all she hoped for was for the team to be able to win this first game without the need of having him play. She was still a little skeptic of him playing this first game and even after talking to him that doubtful feeling wouldn't leave her mind but at least she heard those words from his lips.

After a couple of hours she finally inspected her last VIP room. Looking at her watch, she was a little behind scheduled as she hadn't changed from her casual jeans and shirt to her dress for tonight. When she walked out of the room she looked around to find that the stadium had started to fill itself up with people who had come to watch their first game. The entire tournament had started yesterday but they were scheduled to play today. As she was walking towards her change room she spotted a little kid fighting with one of the guards. She looked closely and recognized him from the charity game a couple of months ago. She curiously walked towards the entrance.

"But he did! He invited us to come and watch him play here." The kid loudly complained.

The guard laughed in his face, "Please kid, do you know how many times I've heard that one?"

"But it's the truth!" the kid angrily stated.

She reached the scene and looked from the guard to the kid before asking, "What is going on here?"

The kid angrily pointed to the guard, "This man doesn't want to let us in!"

She quickly looked at the guard who was smiling, "Ms. Kinomoto, these boys are saying that Li personally invited them to the game for free but as you can see they will not get past me that easily. I've got this all taken care of."

She raised her brow, "Do you? Did you confirm the information with your superior?"

His smile slowly started to fade away at her question.

"As it so happens Li did asked them to come to his game. Your job is not to angrily put these kids down but to consult with your superiors if his information is accurate or not."

"But Ms. Sakura, you must understand-"

She interrupted the man and said, "Let them in. If I'm not mistaken Li asked for one of the VIP rooms for all of these kids and their relatives to watch the game."

The kids all looked at each other excitedly. Some of them had started to cheer.

The guard stared at her, "Are you sure Ms. Kinomoto?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, "Are you questioning my orders?"

"No ma'm!" He quickly turned towards his partner and nodded their entrance to the coliseum.

The kids laughed at his expression but nonetheless walked inside the coliseum in awe alongside their parents. Most of them she could imagine had never had the opportunity to stand inside these walls.

Sakura looked at one of their parents. "Well, follow me please. I'm afraid I can only drop you off in the room since I'm running a little late."

"No problem at all Ms. Kinomoto." One of the parents said bowing his greetings and respect in front of her.

"Sakura!"

She heard her name being called from the side. When she looked, an already dressed Xiefa came walking towards her. "You're not dressed. Father is waiting for you in the VIP room."

Sakura excused herself to walk towards Xiefa and in a low voice explained, "Syaoran booked a VIP room for these kids."

Xiefa looked at her astounded. "Will you be taking them? Sakura, you know father wants you at his side when this game starts." she lowly said.

"I know but what other choice do I have?" Sakura lowly answered as well.

Xiefa took a deep breath. "Did my brother truly rent a whole VIP room for them?"

She nodded.

Xiefa sighed and looked at the guard again, "You! Call your superior and ask which room Li rented for these people."

The guard nervously nodded and quickly asked through his speaker. She watched him nod and turning towards them he answered, "Room nine."

"Thank you." Xiefa looked at Sakura. "I'll take them. You go change." Then in a friendly way she turned towards one of the parents and said, "Please follow me. I'll take all of you to the room."

~ o ~

The game had started not as good as anyone thought. China had scored a goal within the first fifteen minutes of the game which was really good until Portugal was able to tie the game 1-1 in the thirty seventh minute and was currently having a higher percentage of ball possession than China. Since that second goal Syaoran kept anxiously watching the game from the bench and getting more frustrated by the minute. In his mind Portugal was not a team that should be beating them on the first round.

He stood up from his seat and walked all over to where the coach was. "I'm going to the training room to get ready."

"No you're not. Sit down. We're fine." Tan decided to answer while his coach was concentrating on the players that were inside the field playing.

Without caring for the assistant coach he said to his coach, "You said I could play as soon as the doctor gave me the release."

"Sit down Syaoran." He said without looking.

Syaoran made him look at him. "Coach! I didn't train for eight years to see us lose on the first round."

"We're not losing Syaoran we're tied."

"The way things are going, you know where this game is headed. I'm going to the training room to get taped." With that being said he turned around ignoring Tan and walked towards the training room.

His coach sighed. After been released there was no way of holding him back. The first half only had three more minutes left and the way things were looking his team was more down than rising up as they should've been.

He was ready. His face, his eyes, the only thing that anyone could see in them was that he was doing this. There was no doubt in him at all. He was playing today.

~ o ~

Sakura was talking to one of the investors inside the VIP room while they enjoyed some snacks and drinks over halftime. He had congratulated her in having such an amazing successful event like the opening night at the hotel with all the delegations present and had wanted her to help him with an event he wanted her to consider. Of course she immediately said she wouldn't mind looking over the proposal and after discussing it with her boss she would give him the answer. One of the girls passed by them offering wine glasses to the invitees which she declined knowing it wouldn't be such a good idea to have more than two glasses a night.

"You might want to reconsider that." Xiefa closely said for only her to hear.

Sakura looked at Xiefa who in turned nodded her way into the field. She followed her gaze to watch one of China's men being substituted for Syaoran who was jumping before jogging inside the field. "On second thought I have reconsidered this." She said while picking up her third glass of wine for tonight and quickly drinking some.

He had told her he wouldn't ask to be put in. 'No… he said unless it was necessary.' She thought and sighed. From the moment he stepped into the field her eyes were glued on him. She excused herself from talking with the investors and sat down on her seat watching every single second of the game.

~ o ~

The second half of the game had started and after fifteen minutes they still couldn't find a way of scoring that winning goal. From the moment he stepped into the field he found two guys always covering him making it hard for him to infiltrate through the middle to score. He received the ball and suddenly fell to the ground grabbing his right ankle after been hit by one of Portugal's players.

After seeing the play the referee called the fault but nothing else. While some of his teammates went to demand the referee to card the other player, Eriol got concerned after seeing him hit the ground and ran to his side, "Are you alright?" He saw him grimaced and worried. Tan had already told him not to play this game but he had insisted.

"I'm fine." He said but didn't get up. He was breathing hard as if he was trying to hold on.

"I don't think you're fine. Do you want me to call Klein?"

He shook his head. "I said I'm fine."

A couple of minutes later Kyu appeared on the left side of Eriol. "Are you okay man?"

"I think we should call Klein, Kyu." Eriol said looking at his cousin who was still in the ground.

Syaoran suddenly stood up. "Damn it Eriol, I said I'm fine. Now just got to the right side and let's finish this game." He said a little louder than even himself expected.

"Hey man, what's your problem?" Eriol yelled back.

"Enough!" Kyu intervened between the both of them. He looked at Syaoran daring him to continue. "There's only ten minutes left to this game and whatever the referee adds to it. Let's go Eriol." He grabbed Eriol's arm to make him move but Eriol shoved him off.

"Fuck off Kyu." He said as he walked away to his position.

Syaoran grimaced as he took the first couple of steps. The pain on his ankle was a constant pulse. He could feel it even with all the bandages he had on. This wasn't good at all, but he wanted to finish this game. So far, they were still tied 1-1 on the first round. He limped a little towards the middle as he watched the other team passing the ball overhead.

Mark jumped and head kicked the ball towards Eriol who in turn started running with the ball through the right side. He passed the ball to Xiun and quickly went inside the middle zone as Xiun passed the ball right back to him. He ran through the middle and kicked the ball to the left, where another of his teammates was waiting, but the ball was intercepted by the other team.

Kyu ran towards the guy and tried to steal the ball away but received a foul call instead. After several minutes spent between fouls and lose balls, he finally heard the referee call two more minutes on the clock. He watched Mark steal the ball from a guy on the left side and started running through the middle. Mark saw him open and kicked the ball towards him. Kyu received the ball and started running avoiding two guys that tried to steal the ball from him. He watched as Syaoran started running forward and kicked the ball towards Eriol on the right side.

Eriol in turn kept running on the right side with the ball till he finally found a space between two players and kicked the ball towards the middle. Syaoran received the ball and faked his entry towards the left before turning to the right and kicking the ball towards the net scoring the winning goal. He took the ball and started running to celebrate when one of the athletes from the other team pushed him. He dropped the ball and shoved him back. "What's your problem?"

"You are my problem. What are going to do?" the guy responded as he got closer enough to Syaoran.

"That's not my fault. Try to stop me next time. Don't make it too easy on me." Syaoran said as his other teammates started gathering around and pushing the others as well.

"Is that so? Maybe I should start doing that right now."

The referee immediately started whistling and got in the middle of them both as Syaoran felt Mark pushed him out of the way from the guy's face and outside the argument area. He started yelling at the other captain, "Get your guys out as well." He in turn looked at Syaoran, "What are you doing? Stop this right now."

"He started it."

"Yeah, well I'm finishing it. Go!" He pointed towards the locker room when the referee came and took out his yellow card and noted down the card given to Syaoran.

Syaoran turned around towards the referee, "That's great ref. Well done! But I didn't start this!"

"Shut up Syaoran!" Mark grabbed his shirt and pushed him towards the locker room. "Go!"

He started walking until he was all the way inside. He was frustrated. First of all, they weren't supposed to lose this match and although it ended up as a win in the last minute it was still not good enough for him. Second, he ended up getting yellow carded for no apparent reason according to him so he would be already on probation and the tournament had just started. Things were nowhere near close to where he had pictured they would be right now. 'Great way to start the tournament.' He sarcastically thought as he walked inside their locker room.

~ o ~

Her day had been a complete mess. First, she had to deal with the manager of one of the speaker's they were using on one of the fields because the guy didn't want to honor the price he had quoted for her, then these new proposals that investors were trying to get her to take and finally the nerve wracking game in which Syaoran ended up playing after all. To know that she couldn't even go to her own apartment made her feel worst. That comfy feeling of reaching your own place where you can do whatever you want and dress any way you felt like was gone for her because of forces out of her control. 'For now' she thought as she made herself walk towards the kitchen of Feimei's apartment.

Since it would only be her and Feimei staying in the apartment she changed herself into her pajama's and thought of making a nice tea that would help her relax. It was one of those rare occasions in which she just wanted to be lazy in her long pant pajamas and over sized shirt while drinking something warm before going to bed. She took out the leaf bags from one of the cabinets and put a small pan on the stove with water. Before turning the stove on, she heard a knock on the door. She rolled her eyes at the mere thought that someone was interrupting her relaxing personal time and went to find out who it was.

She opened the door and froze, "What are you doing here?"

Outside the apartment was a casually dressed Syaoran with his baseball hat and his hands on his pockets smiling at her. "I wanted to see you."

"Are you crazy?" she looked around to make sure no one had followed him.

"Can I come in?"

She let him in and closed the door quickly a little bothered by seeing him in her apartment but at the same time happy. "Aren't you supposed to be at the hotel?"

He sighed and nodded. "But I really wanted to see you."

She sarcastically nodded, "Really? Which one do you want to talk first… your behavior towards your teammates or your unsportsmanlike attitude at the end of the game?"

He took a deep breath but didn't say anything. She had never taken pity on him before and he was pretty sure she wouldn't start now. The reason why he needed to see her? It was simple. She was Sakura and he always felt comfortably relaxed around her. He put both of his hands in his pockets again and turned around to face her. "You can choose."

"Your fight at the end of the game was uncalled for."

"He started it."

"And you couldn't be mature enough to decide not to follow it?"

He turned around and walked towards one of the stools, "What was I supposed to do? Cross my arms and wait for him to hit me? The guy had been gunning me since I walked into the match."

She scoffed, "Please Syaoran… He provoked you and you let your frustration get the best of you. Did you even considered your team at all before doing this? What they'll have to go through if you get carded again because you weren't responsible enough to choose not to fight?" She looked at him with a disapproving face but tried to ease off a little by softly asking, "How is your ankle? I saw what happened. The guy should have been carded for doing that too."

"You and a lot of people saw it except the referee."

"Mmm avoiding the question… that good huh?" she said before walking towards her kitchen to continue her tea making. She turned the stove on and put exactly two cups of water into it while she waited for him to start talking about what was really bothering him.

He sighed. "Sorry, I'm just tired of people worrying about me."

"Well, you do have a lot of people who love you Syaoran… you can't expect them not to worry."

He sighed, "I know. But it's just frustrating how some just want to control your life just because they feel that you can't handle it."

She smiled while listening to him. "Really? That's not what I heard…"

He stared at her back, "You talked to Tomoyo?"

She waited a couple of minutes till the water was hot enough and poured it in both cups. She put the small leaf bags in them before walking over to the counter and placing one of the cups in front of him. He gladly took it while she stayed at the other side of the counter facing him. "Have you thought why other teams fear China right now or even see you as a worthy adversary?"

He took a sip of his tea as he waited for her to continue.

"It's not because of you Syaoran. One man doesn't make a team in soccer. You alone can't win a championship regardless of how good you are inside the field. Which just to let you know you didn't get to be so good on your own either. You didn't choose to play a one man sport, you belong in a team. The chemistry you have with Eriol and Kyu inside that field is too strong for other teams to break. It's like you guys sense each other's moves. They are all gunning for you and will keep doing it because right now you are the weakest link to break that line and you're making yourself be this every time you get anxious inside the field or frustrated."

He turned his head to the side. "So you think this is my fault? Great…"

"Look at me." She waited for him to look at her. "This isn't you. They worry because they are your teammates and you are their leader. They can't see an injured you on the field Syaoran, they need you to lead. And you can't lead if you keep getting anxious and start snipping about every question someone asks. Your ankle is fine and you are one of the best players in this tournament. So stop holding yourself back for fear of getting hurt again and be the leader they need to see inside the field."

He smiled at her and took a sip of his tea, "I'm so glad you left that loser."

She chuckled and shook her head while enjoying her tea as well.

"I should consider firing Choi as well and make you my new manager…" He jokingly said as he finished drinking his tea and walked around to put his cup on the sink.

"Oh… I'm not too sure you should to do that. I don't mix business with pleasure."

"On second thought then I won't fire Choi." She was still drinking hers but stopped when he went over to her and hugged her before softly saying, "Thanks."

She smiled after feeling his arms, "I missed you."

He tightened his hold on her a little and took a deep breath taking in the flower smell on her hair before softly saying, "When the tournament's over, I want to go away for a couple of days. I don't care where, you can choose. But just the two of us."

"We agreed on taking this slow." She reminded him.

He smiled. "We are taking it slow. Nothing will happen other than us spending time together. I promise I'll behave." He said in an inconvincible sultry way that made Sakura chuckled.

She nodded and warned. "Watch my tea or I will be very angry."

He chuckled. "You know, one would think that been in my arms would make you forget about everything else."

She placed her cup in the bar and turned around to questionably look at him, "I'm sorry baby, are you under the impression that I can't live without you?"

He smiled at her and planted a kiss on her. Caressing her face, he kissed her softly until his teeth nipped at her lower lip. She responded by opening her mouth as he tasted her and deepened the kiss while she put her hands around his waist. She loved his kisses. There was no way of denying that. She felt him pull away when his phone vibrate. He took it out and saw a text from Kyu.

*Where are u man? We have film in 20 minutes.

He sighed. It was obvious he wanted to stay but duty called. "I have to go."

She smiled and nodded. He gave her another kiss and started to taste her again but she pinched him on the stomach. "Go. You're already late as it is. You're even out of the hotel!"

He backed away chuckling and smirked when she tried to push him towards the door. "When this is over, I'm coming back for more tea and this time I won't leave."

She chuckled and gave him a quick kiss before pushing him out the door and closing it after.

"You know… you're really mean sometimes." She heard him say from the other side of the door and smiled.

"Call me after getting into the hotel!" She loudly said before laughing. After hearing his footsteps walking away, she sighed and went to finish her nice and warm tea only to find it had already turned cold. She frowned and narrowed her eyes, "He'll pay for this."

She watched as her phone started ringing. Through the caller ID she could see that the caller was none other than the owner of this apartment. "This better be important. I'm already in a foul mood as it is."

"I'm sure you're mood will change in just seconds. I just saw your cousin walking inside Xcape hotel very amiable and friendly with the president of Ozuna's son."

Sakura took a deep breath after hearing her and hung up the phone. The cold tea long forgotten as the news of her cousin started to settle inside of her. The tea wouldn't do anything for her right now whether it was cold or warm. Ozuna was one of the biggest investors in joint projects with Li Enterprises and currently they had another project coming in for the end of the year.

This new piece of information started turning wheels inside her head. Smart… her cousin had been almost smart about this one. She probably hadn't booked the room herself instead she made herself untouchable by staying with Ozuna's son. And although things seemed impossible for some, Sakura softly smiled. She was Kinomoto Sakura after all…

**Author's note:** Well, this chapter is finally done. First, I want to thank all the people that reviewed my last chapters, love you all! I like hearing feedback on whether you guys liked the chapter or not, giving new ideas and improvement tips here and there. I really appreciate it. You guys are the best! Second, I want to say I have nothing against Portugal's soccer team in fact I find them to be one of the best teams I've seen playing. And as I'm about to post this chapter I congratulate them on getting into the semifinals of the Euro Cup. It was a nice game to watch against Poland. I hope you guys like this chapter!


	17. Chapter 17 - Fearless

"_**A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking because her trust is not on the branch but on its own wings. Always believe in yourself." - Unknown**_

**Chapter 17  
"Fearless"**

She tossed to her right side whining not fully comprehending what was going on. She turned once more bothered by the distressing sound that was disturbing her sleep. When she groggily opened her eyes she realized the annoying sound was coming from her phone though she couldn't fully understand who could be calling her in these ungodly hours of the morning. She looked outside her window and all she could see was darkness. The sun hadn't even started showing his first rays.

She searched for some minutes around her bed still fighting with her sleep but found nothing. She reached in front of her to touch around the night table but found thin air colliding with her hand. 'That's right! I'm not in my apartment.' She thought before turning around and reaching far enough to touch the only night table in this room. Grabbing her phone, she disconnected it from its battery source and angrily answered. "Who the heck is this?"

"Sakura! Father just had a heart attack!"

~ o ~

He opened his eyes slowly. It was pitch dark outside but the sound of a shower running early hours of the morning woke him up. He looked at his watch and growled at the sight of five in the morning being marked by the short hand. Usually he was the first to wake up but this time Eriol had woken before him. After having the talk with Sakura, he had tried to apologize to Eriol but he could tell he was still a little pissed off by the incident. He hadn't needed Sakura to tell him it was his entire fault, his guilty feeling while leaving the hotel last night was enough but she had confirmed it nonetheless which only made him feel worst and yet seeing her last night made him feel better at the same time.

Kyu's text had ended his little mischief of visiting Sakura last night. He had rushed into the hotel and gone straight to the hotel's conference room. Lucky for him, his cousin's anger hadn't reached a point of telling their coach the real reason why he was late to the meeting which to him was a good sign. He had no doubt Eriol probably had known all along about his whereabouts. They had their team meeting in which he apologized to the entire team for his behavior after the game and later on to his cousin before watching film and although he had expected it to be enough he only found himself disappointed at the fact that it hadn't been.

He heard the sound of the shower been turned off and sat down on his bed bent over with his hands on his knees still a little drowsy from his lack of sleep last night. After a couple of minutes the bathroom door opened and Eriol came out drying his hair with a towel. He looked at Syaoran but didn't acknowledge his presence. Instead he continued his way to his bag and pulled out his clothes to dress himself.

"Are you still pissed?" Syaoran asked. He waited for his cousin to answer but didn't hear a single word from him. The abundance of silence made him speak again. "Come on man. I already apologized. What else do you want me to say?"

"Nothing. I've already heard enough." Eriol said. He finished dressing up and headed out.

Syaoran watched him close the door after leaving and sighed. He couldn't remember the last time he had a fight with his cousin but they had never had a fight that involved soccer before. Usually their fights in the past always involved Tomoyo and even when they had them, although he was mostly guilty as charged for those too, they were able to talk things through the next day. The only difference was that this time an engagement wouldn't solve his entire problem.

He grabbed his phone and texted Sakura first thing in the morning before heading towards the shower.

_*Morning Babe! _

~ o ~

"Hey man!" Kyu greeted Eriol on the restaurant entrance.

Xiun also greeted Eriol from the side. He had been rooming with Kyu for this tournament which was perfect since he was also an early riser and enjoyed eating. Both of them had decided to have an early breakfast before leaving for morning practice. Lucky for them, they were both soccer players which meant they could eat anything they wanted, with moderation mind you, and sweat it off their bodies a couple of hours later. Looking around him, he noticed he had come downstairs alone and asked, "Where's Syaoran?"

"In the room." He simply said as he kept walking towards one of the empty tables.

Xiun and Kyu followed him since they usually sat down on the same table. Sometimes they would agree on doing this the night before. Other times like today they just met downstairs and after waiting for each other they would get the table. "You didn't wake him up?"

"I'm sure he's old enough to wake up on his own if his maturity allows him." Eriol said as an afterthought.

"Didn't he apologize last night?" Xiun asked taking the seat across him.

Eriol looked at him before silently looking at the menu. The hotel restaurant had a vast variety of choices for breakfast and he had made a point of trying everything on the menu if he was lucky enough to last the entire competition.

Kyu looked at him silently. Contrary to Eriol he already knew what he wanted so instead he thought about yesterday's incident. There was no doubt that this fight between Syaoran and Eriol would bring repercussions to the team. It was a given fact that whenever the two of them were fighting the team ended up getting affected by both of their attitudes. Eriol usually was very calm and passive but when he argued with reason getting him out of his mood was easier said than done. And Syaoran… well what could be said about Syaoran… even when his arrogance would allow him to apologize there was still a part of him that would try to justify his actions which ended up with him not caring whether you accepted the apology or not. "You know… you could be the mature person and accept his apology."

"We both know he still doesn't care. So why bother?" Eriol simply said while waiting on the waitress to take their orders.

~ o ~

She had arrived at the hospital with Feimei an hour after receiving Xiefa's call. It didn't took long to wake Feimei up since her mother had already called her to informed her so they both got dressed and left as soon as they could. They walked quickly through the hospital hallways already been familiarized with it since Syaoran had also been recruited here when he was injured. After several turns they found Xiefa sitting in the visitor area with what it looked to be a cup of coffee on her hand.

"Xiefa!" Feimei was the first to rush towards her. "How's father? What happened?"

Xiefa looked at both of them and waited for Sakura to reach them before explaining. "Father had a minor heart attack last night or earlier this morning however you want to call it. He just woke up several minutes ago. Mother is with him."

"Who found him?" Sakura asked.

Xiefa looked at Sakura and hesitated a little before replying. "I did. For some reason I forgot my iPad in the office and when I went to get it I saw his light was on so I went to turn it off and I found him on the floor."

Xiefa's face was enough to know that these were probably the only words she would utter about the incident. By the look on her face the event had affected her more than she would like to let on. Sakura noticed her voice lacked the confident tone she usually used when speaking to people and her skin had paled since the last time she had seen her.

"Can we see him?" Feimei asked.

"Yeah, I'm heading to his room now as well." Xiefa replied.

Sakura nodded. The three of them walked together to Xian's room. On the way to his room Sakura's mind was already running with possible scenarios on what could probably happen next. Xian in a bed meant someone would probably have to take care of all the meetings he had scheduled for this week. Not to mention if Yelan was to spend time on his recovery, which it was totally understandable, someone would also had to cover for her. Sparing a look at Xiefa once more, she wasn't too sure that on her condition she would be able to fit her mother's shoes in the company while her father recovered.

~ o ~

He hadn't spent much time after waking up pondering on past events instead he took a shower, dressed up quickly, and watched some TV before heading downstairs for breakfast. If his cousin couldn't accept his apology he wasn't going to beg for it. One time of uttering the words should've been enough in his opinion. Hearing the sound of the elevator reaching the lobby he waited for the doors to open before heading out. He started walking towards the restaurant but got distracted on the way.

He found Sayuri waiting in one of the tables of the bar with purse in hand. She hadn't take notice of him since she was looking the other way around but by looking at her all dressed up casually he could guess she was probably on her way out of the hotel. The other day when he found out she was here he wasn't able to express his thoughts like he had wanted to. Kyu and Eriol had been on his side but this time they weren't. He decided to approach her before heading to breakfast this morning. "I hope he hasn't kept you waiting long."

She jumped at the sound of his voice and turned to look at him. "Syaoran!"

He smiled and put his hands inside his sweat pant pockets. Contrary to Eriol he made sure to come completely prepared to go to the field once he finished eating so he dressed with his China practice shirt and his practice shorts under his sweat pants. "Good morning!"

"What are you doing here?"

He reclined himself from the bar casually before replying, "We need to talk."

She looked around searching for something or most likely someone before looking back at him. "I don't want any trouble."

"Have you seen your cousin lately?" he asked.

She confidently stared back at him knowing he always liked to go straight to the point. "I did. She has changed a lot. Not the same thing that can be said about you since you're probably still following her around even after she abandoned you."

"That night-"

"Don't!" she interrupted before he could finish. "I'm well aware that it meant something different for both of us. You don't need to taint my memory with your thoughts."

He kept looking at her. The feeling inside those memories for her where entirely different than the sensation he felt when remembering that night. When everything ended it was too late to take back and he hadn't just hurt one person that night but three before hitting rock bottom. "I will only say this because I feel it's right that you hear it from me. Sakura and I are giving ourselves another chance."

"So I've heard. Though if you ask me I'm not too sure you know what you're getting yourself into."

He looked away and sighed uninterested with her opinion. "I'm only letting you know. Nothing else."

She smirked. "She's not the same cheerful little girl she was when you dated her years ago. Her cheerleading days were over a long time ago. I'm telling you she's changed but I know you won't take my word for it so if your announcement was all you needed to say then be gone. My boyfriend should be getting here any minute now."

"Did you tell her about us?" he asked

She questionably looked at him but was interrupted before she could answer him.

"Babe! Sorry that took so long." A tall man approached them. The man had wavy brown hair that reached his ears. The width of his shoulders suggested that the man either was another model or was used to working out at the gym. He sure did fitted Sayuri perfectly since she had always liked men with good physiques.

Syaoran looked at the man walking towards them before he reached down to peck her in the lips. When he looked back up, he was surprised to find him there and gasped. "You're Li Syaoran!" he amazedly said.

Immediately Syaoran could recognize the fascination on his voice. It was the same reaction he got from all his fans. He smiled and nodded putting his hand out. "Yes I am. And you are?"

He grabbed his hand and shook it. "I'm Ozuna, Mikael but you can call me Mik. It's such a pleasure! Forgive my excitement, you must be tired of these, it's just that in my life I'd never thought I would actually be meeting you in person."

"No worries." Syaoran casually answered.

He turned towards Sayuri and looked at him again. "This is my girlfriend. Kinomoto, Sayuri."

Syaoran chuckled. "Yes, we know each other from high school."

His eyes widened before looking at her. "What? You knew Li and you never told me?"

She stood up from her chair and smiled at him. "It was much a surprise for me to see him here as it was for you, baby. Do you want a picture with him? I'm pretty sure Li has other things he needs to do today."

Syaoran smirked. The way he remembered Sakura's cousin… Mikael was exactly Sayuri's type. A man she could easily manipulate with a smile to do her bidding. Even though it was still a little unnerving to find her here in the same hotel as him, he felt relieved to know that she was able to move on with someone more compatible for her.

He posed to take the picture with Mikael while Sayuri took it in front of them. "There! Very nice!" she happily said.

"Let me see it!" Mikael said while grabbing her phone.

She took advantage of the fact that he was taking a look at the picture to look at Syaoran silently. She mimicked with her lips the word 'thank you' to him before looking at her boyfriend again.

Syaoran nodded towards her. He clearly took her message as gratitude towards not indulging in their past in front of her boyfriend. "Well, I do have to leave now. It was good seeing you again. Take care!" he said before walking towards the restaurant.

On the way he encountered many more fans with their phones out ready to take pictures of him or with him. The hotel had established a line made of small poles with ropes to keep fans out of the hotel while the tournament was been played. Anyone without a carnet that could identify them wouldn't be able to get inside. Since this hotel was chosen to only have teams and VIP guests they established this form of security where the teams could be safe and at the same time the fans could see their players walking around from time to time. He walked near the entrance and took several pictures with little kids. From his pockets he took out a sharpie he had grabbed from the room and signed some autographs before heading over to the restaurant to have breakfast.

On his way to the restaurant he noticed his friends walking out talking animatedly between each other.

"Are you guys done?" he asked.

Eriol simply looked at him but continued on his way.

Kyu nodded. "We just ate but Mark just got here."

Syaoran sighed at his cousin's attitude but nodded. "I'll see you guys later then." He said while walking inside the restaurant. Just like Kyu had said he found Mark grabbing a chair in one of the tables and walked over. He watched as Mark looked at him curiously but sat down next to him anyways.

"I thought you ate already. This is late for you."

Syaoran sighed rolling his eyes and looked at the menu. "I got held back by fans." He said which was somewhat true but decided to simply answer with that than telling him the entire truth.

"Eriol just walked out of here." Mark simply said while looking at the menu as well.

"I saw him." He replied not liking at all where this conversation was going.

Mark put his menu down and looked at him. "Then I will say this straight out even if you don't want to hear it. You're a forward, he's a midfielder and both of you are on the initial eleven. Make sure you guys are talking to each other by tonight's game or I will exert my authority as captain and ask to put both of you on the bench for lack of teamwork even if it costs us the game."

'Great!' he thought. His morning had already started in the wrong side of the bed because of Eriol and now he had to add Mark's little threat to the list. "I'm trying. I apologized. I don't know what else he wants from me?"

"I don't care. Fix this."

"Did you not hear me? He doesn't want to talk."

"Find a way. He's your cousin." Mark simply said before turning towards the waitress and ordering his plate.

Syaoran sighed and ordered his plate as well before giving the menu to the waitress. He looked at his phone and frowned. It was near 8:00 and Sakura hadn't texted back yet. He knew she had always been an early riser. 'Maybe she overslept.' He thought and yet there was still that nagging sensation in the back of his head that kept telling him that something was definitely not right with her not answering his text.

~ o ~

Sakura kept turning the pages back and forth of a travel magazine she found lying in a booth that was placed in the visitor's waiting room of the hospital. Yelan was with Xian and the doctor right now discussing his blood analysis results nurses had performed on him earlier on this morning. While she waited she thought it best to keep herself distanced from her current boyfriend till she had a definite answer for him on the status of his father. Hence why she was very well entertained looking over a very helpful travel magazine. Since having that talk with Syaoran a couple of nights ago she was looking for places to visit.

"_Are you serious about wanting to take a few days off?" she asked._

"_Yes, just the two of us." He made sure to specify that last part._

"_You do know what that means… no soccer or training or anything that has to do with exercising your body…" she playfully said. She could imagine the smirk on his face after hearing her words._

"_All hotels now these days have a gym."_

"_What's the point of going into vacations to work?"_

"_Does that mean I get the privilege of being with you with no phone or tablet or anything that is linked to your office?"_

_She chuckled. "Okay, I walked straight down into that one…" She heard him laugh in the line. "I'm still thinking about this. I haven't agreed to any of this yet but supposing I agree on it, what kind of place do you want to go to?"_

"_Supposing? Why are you still thinking about this? Didn't you say you would be taking time off?"_

"_I am taking time off. I just didn't think I would be traveling. I mean… the Cup is over in two to three weeks. There's no concrete plan, no made reservations, no background search on places… there's not even a named place yet."_

"_Well, you don't need a year to plan a small week just pick a place."_

"_A week? I thought you said a couple of days…"_

_He sighed. "A week, a weekend, it doesn't matter. Whatever you want just let me know."_

_She heard his exasperated voice and smiled after noticing he was already losing his patience about this. "How did the meeting go?"_

"_It was fine." He said in a not too convincing way._

"_Were you able to apologize to your cousin?"_

_He was quiet for a couple of seconds before finally saying, "I apologized after all since you made me feel guilty enough about it but I don't think it mattered much."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_It means he's not even here right now." He monotonously answered._

"_He's breaking curfew?" Apparently the fight had escalated more than she thought. Since meeting them for the first time, Eriol had never been the type to break the rules._

_He hesitated and smirked. "That's secret of the state. I can't confirm something like that."_

_She scoffed and jokingly replied, "You already said he's not there as of now. Taken that it's past ten that literally means he's breaking curfew but rest assured baby your secret is safe with me. Though I can't believe he is breaking curfew…"_

_Syaoran took a deep breath. "Not joking around, I don't know what to do Sak. Usually it was me the one who would disappear the entire night and walked in silently the next morning."_

_She bit her lip and at the same time put the phone on speaker to write a text on her phone while talking to Syaoran. "Well, give him a little bit of time. You never had a fight like this before with him either so maybe he needs time to clear his head." _

_He smirked. "Well you know… maybe since he's out you can sneak in."_

_She laughed at his proposal and quickly replied. "Um… let me think about it. No!"_

She wasn't too sure on his word of behaving on vacations but nonetheless she looked for places inside the magazine that would inspire her to visit them. She turned another page when she noticed a drowsy Feimei walking over to her rubbing her eyes and yawning.

"I thought you'd be in the office by now…" she said.

Sakura went back to look at the magazine. "What's a good place to spend some relaxing time for a vacation? The Caribbean, Bali, Hawaii?"

"Oohh tough choice… The Caribbean sounds nice. When are you going?" she asked as she walked towards the coffee machine in the corner of the room.

"I'm still thinking about it so I'm not sure yet."

Then Feimei's automatic question came out as usual. "Are you going with my brother or alone?"

Sakura naturally kept passing the pages of her magazine. "What does that has to do with anything?"

Feimei smirked. "A lot actually. If you're going with my brother then pick a place that's more romantic. If you're going alone then pick a place that is more adventurous."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I need a place that's relaxing whether I go with your brother or not."

Feimei laughed. "Fine then, I will assume you're going with my brother so I'll say the Caribbean sounds like fun. He hasn't been there yet."

Sakura nodded. "How are you feeling about your father?"

Feimei sighed and sat down next to her. She took a small sip of her coffee before replying, "I'm just a little shocked. He's so young to be having his first heart attack now."

Sakura nodded. "Well thankfully it wasn't a massive one and Xiefa acted quickly in bringing him here."

Feimei nodded. "Will you be telling brother?"

Sakura closed the magazine and sighed. "Actually, I'm trying to avoid your brother till I can tell him everything including the time your father will get released from the hospital."

"Syaoran has never been patient." Feimei commented.

Sakura looked at her. "Syaoran has a game tonight. I'll tell him afterwards."

Suddenly Yelan came in walking inside the room. Sakura and Feimei both got up from their chairs. Xiefa, who had been animatedly talking on the phone quickly hung up and headed over to her mother. "How's father?"

Yelan sighed and smiled a little. "He's fine. The results came back and everything was under control. The doctor told him he needs to start minimizing his work load. They'll keep him here tonight as a preventive measure and he'll get released tomorrow morning if nothing happens."

"Some pictures were taken when the medics were getting him into the ambulance. I've been trying to get a hold of all of them but I'm not quite sure that's possible." Xiefa said.

Yelan nodded. "I see. Then all we can do is get as many as possible out of the media until tomorrow and hope nothing else happens. Once he's out of the hospital we can handle everything better." Yelan said before turning to Sakura. "You're going to have to take care of the office and his meetings till he's well enough. I'll help you in any way I can. Do you think you can handle this?"

Sakura nodded and confidently answered, "I'll take care of it." After all, she hadn't been Xian's apprentice for nothing these past seven years.

~ o ~

Just as she had told Yelan, she left the hospital with means of making it as quick as possible to the office. No reason to stay any longer if nothing could be done about the situation. She stopped for a moment at Feimei's apartment, took a quick shower, and prepared herself before heading into the office. Reaching the large modern building, she parked her car in her usual spot and headed upstairs to the office.

The first thing she did once she arrived was to visit her old assistant in her new office. She walked right in to her office and closed the door behind her.

Suri watched from her desk as her old supervisor stood in front of her. "Sakura! Is everything alright?"

"What I'm about to tell you is top secret for now. President Li will be taking a leave of absence probably for a couple of weeks."

"What?" Suri asked surprised at the news. "But the tournament is currently on… Is that wise?"

Sakura made a sound to clear her throat before saying, "It's mandatory. I'll be taking charge from now on until he comes back therefore I need a list of his calendar and every meeting he has set for this week and the next couple of weeks as well. And I need you to take care of this with me."

Suri curiously looked at her. "I thought our last project together was the tournament…"

Sakura shook her head and casually smiled before replying, "Nope. From now on it will be this and the tournament." As she was about to walk out she decided to heed a final warning to her currently re-appointed assistant. She turned from her door and looked at her. "Suri… this stays between us."

Suri only knew what her words could mean… no one was to know about this. Not even her new assistant Kira. She wondered why the sudden change but never dared to ask. She assumed in the long run if she could know what was going on Sakura would tell her. She dropped everything she was doing and started with the task on hand.

Typing quickly in her computer like the pro she had become thanks to Sakura's teachings, she called Li's secretary and asked her to forward the president's entire calendar. She looked through it and started organizing everything to Sakura's likings. As it was custom with them, she highlighted the most important meetings of the day with one color and the rest of the to-do-list with other colors depending on the priority of the tasks according to her.

After spending some hours having everything set, she headed to Sakura's office to discuss everything with her and get her approval.

~ o ~

Astonishingly, he had been able to convince Mark that whatever was happening between his cousin and him would not affect the team in this game. Along with his argument he had promised him that he would talk to him again after the game so that Mark conceded on not saying anything to their coach yet. It was true that he would have to find a way of fixing this but nothing came to mind and as he did his pre-game warm up something else occupied his mind.

The entire day he had this feeling that something was off. Something at the back of his mind kept bothering him. His pre-game time at the lockers hadn't been like usual. He had tried to concentrate on the game ahead to no avail. Even touching the field minutes ago and warming up on it before the game started hadn't helped. He looked once again like he had done so for the past thirty minutes of warm ups towards the VIP room and didn't see her there.

He kicked the ball towards one of his teammates and jogged towards the other side. When he reached his destination he looked once more to the room… Nothing. He took a deep breath to try to control his temper inside the field since the game was about to start. He needed to concentrate.

~ o ~

Her eyes were glued to the TV in front of her. The last meeting of the day had taken longer than usual and she was late for the game. She had made sure to put the game on the limo so that she could at least start watching it with Suri on their way to the stadium.

"_Mark receives the ball on the left side exercising an amazing control over it. He's running forward. I think he just spotted Kyu on the middle. Yes, he did. He passes the ball to Kyu who turned towards the right and passes the ball to Eriol. Eriol receives the ball. He's moving quickly with it. Two guys are defending their side. Wow, what a nice turn! He just left one of them behind. He kicks the ball towards the middle and… Spain is able to get the ball away from their goal side."_

"Ugh!" Sakura grunted.

"Spain is a hard team to beat. I don't know if they'll be able to do it even if they're playing good." Suri commented.

Sakura ignored her comment. She was almost dying from having to watch the game on TV instead of live. Her nervousness impeded her from talking her thoughts out loud and she kept staring at the screen afraid that if she blinked she would miss an important play.

"_This China team seams a lot better than how they played their first game. With every play they seem to be connecting better and better. I have to say Tai, they now look more like the team that was able to beat South Korea on the FIFA qualifiers." _

Sakura had her fingers tight down with each other. Any person who didn't know her could think she was praying and yet she was keeping her hands together trying to avoid a nervous breakdown. This game was too close and too intense for her to be watching it from a TV.

"How much longer till we get to the stadium?" she asked.

Suri looked at her watch and then to the screen. "We'll probably be there by the second half."

Syaoran had been playing this game from the very beginning. After talking to him the other days his body posture seemed to be more composed and at ease inside the field. If he had or hadn't been able to solve things with his cousin it was unnoticeable in the field. He was slowly going back to being that confident player she knew which helped her ease her nerves.

"_Xiun steals the ball from one of the defenders. What a superb turn. He quickly passes the ball to Eriol who responds well with a quick pass to Kyu. Kyu turns and already spotted Li running forward through the middle. He's calling for the ball! Kyu found the space between two midfielders! He passes the ball to Li with a great ball through. Here comes Syaoran running forward two defenders on his back. Santos reaches him but he gets away from the defender to the right and here's the shot! He scores! One to zero in the twenty third minute of the game."_

"Ah!" Sakura screamed. Not being able to contain her excitement she started jumping in the car while screaming 'Yes!' It was a shame she hadn't been able to watch it live but at least she didn't missed it.

Suri smiled excitedly as well and started clapping.

The broadcasting station showed the play once more for those who had missed it and Sakura released a breath she hadn't even realized she was holding up to this minute.

"_What a brilliant pass by Kyu. He didn't need much to think about that one. As quickly as he looked up to see Syaoran sprinting forward he simply kicked the ball through finding enough space to set the play into motion and with Syaoran's speed inside the field it was almost impossible to defend against that finish."_

"_Totally agree with you Tai. First Eriol's magic with his turn to keep the ball possession, then Kyu's quickness to execute a plan, and finally Syaoran's definition to finish the play. This is why when these three are on site together they form one of the most frightening soccer trios history has seen."_

~ o ~

She had finally arrived at the game a little earlier than Suri had estimated and quickly walked towards the VIP room. She wasn't early enough to catch the last few minutes of the first half but at least she was already inside the stadium. After getting inside the room she greeted all the major sponsors and partners just like Li would do if he would've been able to come to the game. She took advantage that it was half time to get a small snack and a drink to sit down and talk with her friends who she hadn't seen for a couple of days.

"You finally made it!" Meiling said.

She smiled. "I know. For a minute there I thought I wouldn't be able to get here. There was so much traffic in the road."

"Mmm… well it's nice to see you finally got here. You may want to know that Syaoran hasn't stopped looking for you." Meiling said.

Tomoyo shook her head. "True. He has been looking over every time there is a stopped ball."

Sakura listened and sighed. "There's not much I can do. My line of work has these types of day many times." Nonetheless she smiled at them and looked at Tomoyo. "Have you spoken to your fiancé?"

Tomoyo nodded. "Though his answer won't please you at all."

Sakura took a bite of her dumpling before asking, "What did he say?"

Tomoyo shrugged before saying, "Something along the lines of not believing him."

Sakura swallowed her bite before looking at her. "Come on Tomoyo… He's his cousin. He made a mistake and he apologized for it."

Tomoyo sighed. "Yeah well that may be true Sakura but I can't defend Syaoran anymore."

She could've sworn she heard a hidden message in Tomoyo's way of answering. Bewildered by it, Sakura looked at her with questioning eyes. "This is not about defending him it's about smoothing things over between them. Eriol has always listened to you."

"A lot of things happened while you were away. This is something they need to fix on their own." Tomoyo said before getting up and walking away to get a drink for herself.

Still puzzled by Tomoyo's behavior, Sakura watched her back as she walked away.

Meiling sighed. "You may or may not know this but she's right. A lot of things happened while you were away, one of them been Syaoran breaking Tomoyo's trust."

Sakura looked at Meiling and patiently waited for her to continue.

"He used to room with Eriol. Still does whenever there's an official soccer event but even when they went to college they used to live together as roommates. It has been like that all their lives until he started bringing his play things to their apartment. Tomoyo would get furious every time Eriol would defend him and Syaoran ended up apologizing time after time. Yet, several weeks later another one of his play things would still wake up in their apartment. So you can say losing Tomoyo's trust was entirely his own doing. Apologizing means nothing to her right now."

"But things are different now, aren't they?" she asked.

Meiling looked at her and smiling a little nodded. "They seem to be. But that doesn't change the past Sakura. I'm glad Kyu wasn't involved in any of Syaoran's mischief. I don't have the same patience to react the same way Tomoyo did to deal with those sorts of things."

~ o ~

The game had been won by China 2-1. Spain had been able to tie the score after the break comeback and it had been close for most of the second half till Kyu landed the goal that defined the game. It had taken the other team by surprise since most of them were expecting Syaoran to make the goal but after fighting for a while to break through the strengthened line of defense from Spain Syaoran decided on the last minute to pass the ball to Kyu. Not having too many defenders against him Kyu had been able to maneuver the winning play without too much effort. It had been an enjoyable game to watch from the moment she had started to look at it on the limo till she ended up watching it on the stadium.

But now back to reality, just like she had promised Feimei she was on her way to speak to Syaoran about the latest news on his father. She walked into the hotel but stopped mid way. As she looked towards the waiting tables in the reception she saw her cousin looking at her watch and drinking a sip from her water bottle. She looked towards her left to one of the security guards and nodded for him to walk over to where she was. After the guard arrived she simply said, "Follow me." With stern determination she walked over to the waiting table.

~ o ~

"Oh! It's such a shame we can't stay with you guys. I mean, most of the guys already have girlfriends. I still don't get what's so bad about letting you guys stay with your partners…" Meiling complained to her boyfriend.

Kyu chuckled. "Babe! I don't make the rules. You know that." At least their coach had allowed them to have visitors in the hotel till nine. He had been talking with his fiancée for the last hour and sadly the time had come to say goodbye for tonight. He was about to get up when he saw an interesting sight before him. "Wait! Don't leave yet."

"Mmm…?" Meiling looked at him and curiously turned her sight to whatever he was looking at. Apparently Sakura was walking with two guys behind her. By the looks of their uniforms she could tell they were two guards and she was purposely and firmly walking towards someone. When she followed her line of sight she understood the meaning behind her boyfriend's words. "Is that who I think it is?"

~ o ~

"Did you honestly expect to go unnoticed by me? That I wouldn't find out that you were staying here?" Sakura asked. Behind her, a couple of security guards followed her till she reached her cousin in one of the waiting tables.

"Sakura!" Her cousin quickly stood up and turned around to face her. She stared at her and took a deep breath before saying, "I'm not looking for any trouble."

Sakura raised a brow after hearing her but kept her composure. "If you truly didn't wanted to have any trouble you should've picked another hotel to stay in."

"My boyfriend loves this hotel. He made all the reservations. When I found out the name it was too late to change it. Everywhere else was full."

Sakura smiled a little. "Is your pathetic excuse supposed to be enough reason for me to allow you to stay? Is that what you thought it would happen? I'm guessing he doesn't know about your past history."

Sayuri kept looking at her. Her cousin had indeed changed like she had mentioned to Syaoran earlier on. There was no trace of that sweet little girl that used to live in Tomoeda, Japan anymore. She couldn't deny that this new Sakura was indeed a little intimidating to deal with but she needed to find a way to stop this. "I know I haven't been good to you in the past but believe it or not I have moved on."

Sakura didn't show one bit of emotion in her face. Years of practice had shown her to mask her emotions when dealing with problems. "I will give you two choices. You either walk out of here right now on your own or security will accompany you to the door."

"Sakura I-" her cousin started but couldn't finish what she was about to say.

"I didn't say you had seconds to think about it and I hate repeating myself but I believe the word I used was right now."

"What is going on here?" Mikael said arriving at the scene.

Sakura looked at him emotionless, the same way she had looked at Sayuri. "Your girlfriend is not permitted in this hotel."

Mikael scoffed. "What do you mean she's not permitted? She's my girlfriend! Off course she is permitted and I can have you fired for this."

Sakura smirked. "Security, take this woman out. She's not allowed to set foot in this hotel again." She said looking straight at Sayuri then she turned her eyes to Mikael and said, "As for you, when you tell your father about this incident let him know Kinomoto, Sakura was the person that gave the order. He knows perfectly well who I am."

~ o ~

"Dang! Well that was quicker than I expected." Kyu casually said while looking at Sakura walking towards the elevator and a pretty pissed off Sayuri walking towards the entrance doors of the hotel followed by the security guards. He was a little shocked to see that Sakura hadn't even glanced back after dealing with her cousin. Instead she had confidently waited for the elevator before getting inside when it arrived.

Meiling watched as the security guards escorted Sayuri out before turning towards her boyfriend. "You knew she was staying here?"

Kyu looked at her wondering if he had just made a mistake or not. "Well, we saw her yesterday. Apparently she has a new boyfriend. I'm guessing that's him over there."

Meiling sighed. "And you didn't care to mention it to me?"

He sheepishly smiled at her. "Would you have said anything to Sakura?"

"Kyu!"

He put his hands up giving up on this argument. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. To be perfectly honest I forgot about it until now but I guess someone else must have told her she was staying here."

Meiling shook her head. "I still can't stand her."

"She looks different if you ask me." He commented.

"Ugh! You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. She's still the backstabbing envious whore she was in the past if you ask me."

Kyu smirked and chuckled. "Babe, you have such a mesmerizing way with words..."

~ o ~

Eriol sat down in the couch that was on the living room portion of the room. He turned on the TV and started watching the game that was on. France was beating Italy. If the game lasted fifteen more minutes this way it was a given they would be playing France in the semifinals qualifiers. They would probably start watching film by tomorrow night and then play them over the weekend.

He looked towards his back looking for his cousin. Although he still hadn't lifted the silent treatment off (like he used to call it) towards his cousin he found it weird Syaoran hadn't even taken a look at the TV when they arrived. This tournament meant a lot to him, a lot to all of them but to Syaoran the more prepared you could be against a team the better. It was the reason he was so good at scouting teams whenever they needed to play against them and watching games was on top of his priority list when it came to building a winning strategy. Not seeing him walking towards the TV, he turned around and concentrated on watching the game.

_Meanwhile in the other side of the room…_

Syaoran called her again for the twelfth time today and still got no response. Agitatedly, he threw his phone to the bed in anger before he heard a knock on their door. He walked over to open it but saw Eriol had beat him to it. Walking inside their hotel room was none other than the culprit of his bad mood today. He furiously looked at her. "Where have you been? I've been texting you all day and received no reply from you. I called your office and no one knew where you were. Did you lose your phone?"

There was something frightening in his eyes as she stared at him. He was in a foul mood and with reason but what she was about to say would definitely explain her disappearance and probably change his mood in a second. So she stayed as calmed as possible and didn't flinch at his infuriated demanding tone.

Eriol saw immediately where this was headed. He quickly tried to excuse himself before he stuck himself in the middle of an inevitable fight between these two. "I'll leave you two alone."

She quickly looked towards Eriol who was already opening the door. "No. Don't leave. This has to do with you as well since both of you are family."

Eriol stared at her but nonetheless listened. Following her advice, he stayed inside and closed the door. "Want to tell us what's going on?"

She looked back at Syaoran and as calm as possible said, "Your father had a heart attack."

Eriol was the first to react as he softly asked, "What?"

She looked at him and back at Syaoran. "He's fine now. Just woke up a couple of hours ago. Your mother is with him so you don't have to worry."

"When was this?" Eriol kept asking.

"Early in the morning today. I received a call from Xiefa that she was at the hospital. Feimei and I quickly woke up and went there. When we got there Yelan was already there taking care of him. Xiefa's trying to make sure this doesn't burst out to the media but when something like this happens it's almost impossible to cover up. So it's most probable that the news will hit tomorrow morning's highlights if they don't tonight." She turned to look at Syaoran once more. He hadn't uttered one single word since she delivered the news and this worried her.

"Who found him?" Eriol once again asked.

"Xiefa." She relayed what happened to him just as Xiefa had explained it while keeping in mind Syaoran's lack of emotion hearing it. His silence was never a good thing. "He must have gotten the attack close to when she found him because the doctor praised her quickness in accessing the matter. It definitely helped them to keep him conscious."

"Is he still in the hospital?" Eriol asked.

She nodded. "They'll keep him in observation. If by tomorrow morning nothing else happens then they'll release him."

Eriol nodded and took a deep breath. He looked at his cousin and sighed. Although they were still not on speaking terms he could tell the news was affecting him more than what he was letting them know. He opened the door and looked at Sakura. "I'm going to take a walk. I'll be back before curfew."

She nodded and waited for the door to close before approaching Syaoran. She caressed his cheek and asked, "Are you okay?"

He softly took her hand away and walked to his bed. Sitting down, he ran his hands through his head before putting them on his knees and sighing. "Is he really okay or are you hiding things from me?"

She narrowed her eyes at him, "Are you doubting my word?"

He sternly looked at her and demanded her answer. "Are you hiding something from me Sakura? Just answer me. I don't want to argue about this. Not right now."

She kept looking at him. "I'm not. He's fine. He's still in the hospital for observation purposes but he's fine. So far nothing else has happened and your mother is taking care of everything in there."

"I want to see him."

She sighed and looked away. "I don't think it's a good idea for you to leave the hotel to go to the hospital right now."

He stood up and walked up to her. "This is not up to you."

"Syaoran-" she tried to reason with him but he interrupted her again.

"He's my father Sakura!" He said a little louder than he intended.

She quickly looked back at him defiantly. "I know he is but you need to think before you act." She knew her next words would probably piss him off more than what he already was but there was no choice. "You're not a normal person and neither is your father. Your mother is taking care of everything and your sister is trying to mitigate as much of this incident as possible. You going to the hospital right now will nullify their efforts."

"So your suggestion is do nothing? He's my father and I want to see him."

She hated when he was stubborn about things. Although part of her knew he had every right to visit his father the other half of her knew it wasn't the correct choice. "Fine! What if I call your mother through face time? Would that be enough for you?"

He stared at her. "Call her then."

She sighed and took out her phone. After pressing her number she waited until finally Yelan appeared on the screen of her phone. _"Sakura! How's everything in the office?"_

"I'm actually with your son. He wants to see his father."

"_Oh!" Yelan cheerfully smiled. "Well put him on."_

Sakura sighed and gave the phone to Syaoran.

Syaoran grabbed the phone and greeted his mother. "Mother, where's father? How is he?"

"_Dear how have you been? Your father is fine." She turned the camera to show Xian on the bed. _

"_Son! Help me! Your mother has taken over the hospital and has me in chains!" He moved his hands so he could clearly show the shackles locked on each side of the hospital stretcher. _

"_Oh nonsense! Stop complaining love!" She turned the camera back to herself to speak with Syaoran with a smile on her face. "Don't listen to your father's complains sweetie, I'm only doing just what the doctor prescribed."_

He frowned. "Mother, you literally chained him to the bed?"

_She easily shook off his question by replying, "Doctor's prescription sweetie. He can't do any office work for now. All he can do is rest but since your father is stubborn…" she turned to glance at his father and quickly went back to looking at the screen. "I had no choice."_

He narrowed his eyes at the scene. For some reason he couldn't shake off the feeling that somehow his mother was actually enjoying this.

"_Don't worry about your father sweetie. I've got this all taken care off. He'll be back up in no time and from now on he'll live a healthy life. A long healthy life." She emphasized her last words before finishing them with a conniving smile._

He could see his father's grimaced face at the back of the camera after hearing her words and chuckled. He could only imagine what 'a long healthy life' meant for his mother. "Alright. Well I just wanted to see how he was."

"_Is everything okay with you? Are you sleeping well? Eating well? If not I can have the chef changed."_

He sighed and shook his head. Sometimes his mother truly liked to go overboard with things. "I'm fine mother."

"_Are you sure? Sakura is there and she can have anyone removed if something is bothering you inside the hotel."_

He looked at Sakura before looking back at his mother. "It's fine mother. Everything's fine. I was just worried about father."

"_Okay then. Pass the phone to Sakura dear."_

"I'll see you later." He comply his mother's request and handed the phone back to Sakura.

"_Call me when you get back to the apartment."_

Sakura nodded before hanging up. She looked at Syaoran. His mistrust in her had hurt her and she couldn't deny it when she asked, "Are you satisfied?"

He stared at her and calmly answered, "I am, for now."

She heard his answer but couldn't contain herself any longer. "Do you think I would lie to you?"

He confidently smirked at her. "I don't think you would lie to me but, hide things from me? Yes. You have done so in the past to keep me from worrying about anything else but this tournament. Tell me, would you have said something if reporters wouldn't have caught wind of this?"

She stared at him. "If you can't trust me then there's no point in trying a relationship at all."

He watched her walked by in front of him to reach for the door but he grabbed her hand to stop her. "Let's talk."

She shook off his hand. "There's nothing to talk about."

He reclined himself on the door to stop her from leaving. "You're obviously pissed so there is something we need to talk about. I'm not naïve enough to think you would never hide anything from me Sak but family is off limits. When you do hide something from me I trust you take well care of it."

She took a deep breath before saying, "I didn't hide your dad because of the reporters."

He grimaced a little before saying, "I'm sorry about that." He caressed her face but she turned to avoid his touch. He smiled a little but not too much that she would notice. She was obviously still hurt by that comment which he knew it was uncalled for. He got closer to her enough to coax her into hearing him softly whisper, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. I was already a little pissed about you not answering your phone and it just came out."

She knew what he was doing. In the past, it would have worked every single time. He was softly trying to calm her down and make her give in easily but she wasn't a little kid anymore. She would make him beg for this one. She dismissed him easily with her hand and walked a few paces away before turning towards him. "What? Now you will say I was ignoring your calls as well? Are we talking about that one too?"

He smirked and cross his hands. "Well, that one you could've at least texted back 'good morning'."

Dang that cocky smirk of his. He looked so irritatingly hot whenever he made his stance with this attitude. It was almost impossible to fight against him when he looked this good. "I was busy taking care of things. You know, it wasn't a normal routine day for me."

He stood up from the door and walked confidently towards her. As soon as he reached her he dipped his head and pecked her lips.

She looked at the intention in his eyes and looked away making him miss his second kiss. "I'm being serious."

He chuckled and put his hands around her waist to bring her closer. "I know." he whispered on her ear before softly kissing her neck. He kissed several times till he felt her relax in his arms which let him know he had just luckily won this fight. He formed a trail of kisses on her neck till he finally found her lips again and kissed her.

When the kiss ended, Sakura narrowed her eyes at him. "Manipulation, total manipulation on your part."

He chuckled then softly said, "Stay with me tonight."

"No." she said as she looked away from him again. "You don't deserve it."

He smirked and arrogantly got close to her ear before whispering, "Is this a challenge to convince you?"

She put her hands on his chest and narrowed her eyes once again at him. "Stop. I'm being serious."

He chuckled but nonetheless moved his hands up to get her closer, his anger all forgotten as he embraced her in a warm tight hug. Just having her in his arms was enough to calm him down. "Are you in charge of the office while my father recuperates?" After talking to his mother he didn't need to listen to her answer to know it was true but nonetheless decided to ask.

She simply couldn't let go of the fact that this guy truly drove her crazy. From the moment she saw him re-enter her life she had tried to put space between them knowing perfectly well how hard she had fallen for him before. "I am."

"Are you okay with it?" he asked.

He had probably been worried all day because she hadn't answered a single text or call from him. It was a decision she had made thinking that it would be best for him to just hear everything than having him worried by telling him the news piece by piece throughout the day. She tried to show a strong front while simply replying, "I'm fine."

"You can tell me if it's not."

She put her hands on his chest to put some distance between their bodies and looked at him. "Where you worried?"

He hesitated before truthfully answering, "I'd be lying if I say I wasn't."

She softly smiled and she wrapped her hands around his neck. "I'm sorry. It's been a hectic day. A little crazy here and there but more stressful than any other day I've had so far. And that is saying a lot considering I should be used to planning events."

He chuckled and kissed her forehead before breathing her flowery scent in. "I thought something happened to you."

She smiled while tracing the round logo on the top right corner of his shirt. "To me? Like leaving you again?"

He smiled. "Along the lines adding a few other bad things."

She looked at him and smiled. "Well I'm fine. You can stop worrying now." She said before kissing him softly. She had missed him terribly today. What she had said about her day had been all true. It had been one of the most stressful days she had ever had in her life mostly because she hated having those meetings with investors but all in all she was glad at least her day was ending in a good way.

~ o ~

Eriol finished talking to his fiancé and headed back to his room. According to his watch it was 9:55 at night already and he was just in time before curfew started which was a good thing. He had relayed his uncle's information to Tomoyo who to his surprise already knew about it but little Miss Sakura made her promise not to say anything to them. So apparently Syaoran wasn't the only one that ended up having a little argument tonight but now he had joined the team.

He opened the door to his room and found them both inside the living room. They were still holding each other although he could guess they were probably doing something else right before he opened the door. He narrowed his eyes at Sakura and simply said, "It's so good to see you're still here. I have such an interesting story for you."

Sakura questionably looked at him and waited for him to continue.

He took a bottle of water from the counter, opened it, took a sip from it, and then set it back down. "It so happens that my fiancé already knew about my uncle since this morning. You want to know what the interesting part of this is? Unlike you, I've spoken three times already with my fiancé throughout the day. Do you see something wrong with that equation?"

Sakura simply smiled. "Well I couldn't have you saying anything. Plus you had your game I had to take into consideration…" She simply said and added to herself 'not to mention no one wanted to deliver the news to Syaoran so the task landed on me…' She watched him take a deep breath before taking another sip of his water. "But it's actually good to have you back." She looked at Syaoran and untangled herself from his arms. "You both need to talk this moronic thing you have going on in here.

"Stay out of it." Eriol warned her.

"Don't talk to her like that." Syaoran quickly warned back.

"Both of you shut up!" Sakura simply said. She looked at Syaoran who was about to add something to the conversation but at the sight of her glare deferred from saying anything else. "While I'm very flattered and I truly appreciate that you're trying to defend me Syaoran I will remind you that this is something you created." Then she turned her head to Eriol and simply said, "And you. Of all people I could ever imagine you are the least I expected to go down to his level on something like this."

Syaoran stared at her and mimicked a hurtful expression after hearing her words. "My level? I apologized!"

Sakura once again glared at him before looking back at Eriol. "You two are cousins, have been best friends since long before I met you both. Do you think this is something you can't accept his apology for? I am sure he has done worst things than this Eriol."

"Thank you for the vote of confidence. Boy… I'm glad you're not my lawyer." Syaoran rolled his eyes as he murmured.

Eriol smirked to hold himself from laughing. It was evident he had heard his words.

She heard Syaoran mumbling in the corner but kept talking to Eriol. "Honestly Eriol, I'm sure you know your cousin does feel sorry for what he did. Keeping this little kid's silent treatment on is just immature and dull."

"Immature? Ask him why he's apologizing." Eriol simply said while smirking and crossing his hands on his chest.

She sternly looked at her boyfriend and asked, "Syaoran?"

Syaoran, a little irritated by the conversation, sighed and said, "Oh come on! I already said I was pissed off that day Eriol."

Sakura cleared her throat loud enough to grasp his attention.

Syaoran looked at her before sighing. "I'm sorry Eriol. I shouldn't have yelled at you on the game. I was pissed off and frustrated and took my anger on you."

Sakura narrowed her eyes at him. "And he's sorry that he probably hurt your feelings while being selfish on the way."

Syaoran rolled his eyes sulking about the fact that he had to repeat his apology once more. "And that!"

"You're so lucky Sakura's here." Eriol simply said.

"You could've just said you were mad because of that." Syaoran said.

Sakura smiled. "Good. I'm glad everything is back to normal so I'll be on my way. Leave you two boys to rest."

Syaoran scoffed. "You're really not staying for the night? I'm sure Eriol won't mind, will you?" he simply asked while looking at his cousin. He was glad everything got resolved but he truly wanted her to stay.

She interfered before Eriol could answer and looked at her boyfriend. "Don't ask him! Besides, I'd hate to be the cause of trouble for Eriol if Tomoyo finds out another…" She made a gesture as if she was thinking hard on this. "What was it that they called it? Ah… yes, "play thing" wakes up in your room again while you're rooming with Eriol." She sarcastically said while smirking.

Syaoran was surprised by her answer and quickly looked from Sakura to Eriol narrowing his eyes.

Eriol chuckled as he watched Sakura leave the room with a triumphant smile on her face and waving them goodbye. He burst laughing once the door was shut.

"Couldn't your fiancé keep that one to herself?" were the first words that came from Syaoran's mouth after his girlfriend had left the room.

He turned down from laughing to chuckling once more while shaking his head, "And to think that she only speaks of the ones Tomoyo found in the room. Can you imagine if she finds out about the ones Tomoyo didn't know about?" he asked while laughing once more at his cousin's predicament. He sure was glad Sakura was back in his cousin's life.

**Author's note**: So… as I was writing this chapter I realized I didn't apologize for the long wait on my last chapter. Sorry guys! I was actually out on vacations and didn't have my computer with me so you can imagine my torture at not been able to write. Once again thank you to all of you who reviewed my past chapter. You're the best! I will appreciate if you let me know how you feel about this chapter. I didn't hear much from my last one so I'm not sure if you guys liked it or not. What did you guys think about the game? It was one of those scenes that since it was the first time I actually write it I was curious to hear from your reaction about it. Does it need more action? More movement? More players involved? What do you guys think?


	18. Chapter 18 - Shadowed

"_**When a door closes, knock on it a few times. But if it still doesn't open, let it stay closed. In career, in love, in life when you see the period at the end of the sentence, don't try and turn it into a comma. Know when something is over and move on." – Mandy Hale**_

**Chapter 18  
"Shadowed"**

"_Well and today's hot spot headlines belongs to none other than our favorite Li Corp Project Manager who just recently became the Second in Command of the company. Now, many people have been talking about her new role inside the company. There's been rumors that not many of the board members are happy with the President's decision considering there is a true heir capable of handling the company but it was made official this morning when Li Yelan announced her husband's wishes live on National TV." _

"_To tell you the truth Katherine I was actually surprised as well especially after all the rumors that have been flying around the media linking her with the President's son. Neither Li or Kinomoto have wanted to confirm this yet but judging by the picture we showed earlier this week and now this new piece of information we can assume the rumors have more truth than what we believed."_

"_Well don't say that yet __Yuri__ because what I'm about to reveal can also waive your assumption. Apparently Ms. Kinomoto was spotted tonight having a romantic dinner with none other than Oliver Deston, former VP of Kaliu Corporation. As you can see on the screen, pictures of their romantic dinner were downloaded to social networks by people who instantly recognized her on the streets."_

"_Oh wow! I have to admit I didn't see this one coming. You know, it's such a different side of her and not to be mean but it makes me wonder if she's doing all of this just to grasp a little bit of fame. I mean, we've seen her coming out of a long time relationship with President Eli's son to get herself involved with a famous soccer star player and, within a couple of days, now with a VP."_

"_True Yuri. It's such a different side of her. I mean we're talking about someone who wasn't on the media eye to someone who's being a news icon lately. It also makes me wonder if this is what she was hoping to get after her breakup with Senator Eli's son. After all we keep hearing her jumping from one guy to the other…"_

Feimei sighed and shook her head. 'What is she waiting to deal with this girl?' she thought as she kept watching Katherine on the news trashing on Sakura's image. Her friend had never allowed something like this before. She kept listening to her nonsense before hearing her phone ring. Excitedly, she stood up from her couch and grasped the phone from the counter. Happily thinking it was her boyfriend she was about to answer in a sweet voice and refrained from doing so when she realized it was her brother instead flashing on her phone ID. "Hello my sweet brother."

"_Is she there?" he simply asked._

"I'm so glad you're worried about me and everything considering I'm your little sister." She sarcastically answered.

"_Can you put her on the phone Feimei?"_

The coldness in his voice answered her suspicion. He must've watched the news and by the sound of it she was pretty sure this was a fight she didn't want to catch herself in the middle of. She was mad at her friend once more for not preparing her for this. A little consideration would've truly been appreciated… "She's not here."

"_What do you mean she's not there? Did she go back to the office?"_

"No… she's actually not staying here any longer. She decided to stay at her house." She heard him grunt on the other line letting her know he was definitely not happy with the news. Again she thought a little more consideration on her part would've truly been appreciated…

"_She went back to her apartment? After I asked her not to?"_

"No. She went to her house." She carefully said before realization hit her. "You didn't know she has a house…"

"_Where is the house?"_

She shook her head. "You're not in a rational mood right now Syaoran. I can hear it in your voice. If you're pissed off about what you heard on the news then you need to calm down. I'm sure it's probably not true."

"_What news?"_

She grimaced as she closed her eyes in a painful way regretting her words once again. She should've asked before making the mistake of assuming why he was pissed. She tried to shake it off by simply replying, "You know what? It's nothing but I will tell you that usually when she goes to the house, aside of having barely any signal in her cell phone since the place is in the outskirts, she usually goes when she needs a quiet moment or needs to reflect on something. So I suggest you simply text her and wait until she calls you back."

"_Don't lecture me Feimei. Just give me the address."_

"I will not. Text her and wait until she calls you." With that been said she hung up the phone.

~ o ~

The sound of ocean waves could be heard at a distance. It was pitch dark except for the full moon shinning in all its glory in a cloudless night. Millions of stars accompanied her creating the perfect spectacle to see for a troubled mind. Sakura inhaled the salty air from her balcony as she took a deep breath while enjoying the quietness of her own treasured place. She could easily lose hours in this place just thinking and planning her life ahead like she had done many times before and tonight wasn't any different.

_Vaunt and myself like keeping our projects and new developments as close as possible till the opening date. Quite frankly, I'm beginning to have doubts on your ability to do this. Not to mention your poor decision making, if the rumors were to be true, is also affecting our decision on this._

Rumors… For the first time in her life she was surrounded by rumors. For the past seven years her life had been complete transparency. She never had anything to hide. Now everything had changed. She was dating not only one of the most famous soccer players in the world but also one of the most notorious womanizers as well. And even if she truly believed he had changed that was not something he could show within a couple of days. It would take time to clear his image from his rebellious past one.

Beep, beep, beep, click!

Then she heard her door open. She didn't bothered looking towards it. There were only two people that could possibly be opening her door at this time. One of them she had left in her apartment waiting for her boyfriend's call and judging by the hour that would only lead to none other than her other close friend Xiefa.

"You know, you should really change your door security code…" she greeted.

Sakura heard her friend's voice but didn't react at all. She simply continued pondering her thoughts as she looked towards the ocean.

Xiefa looked around as she walked towards the balcony. She could see from a distance a glass of wine standing in the wooden trail of the balcony right at Sakura's side. She turned her face as she continued walking towards her friend and saw a half emptied bottle standing in the bar, indication that the meeting didn't go as planned by her. She reached her friend's side and stared at her as she casually said, "The news are having a field day with your name in case you're interested in knowing about the latest happenings around China. Mind telling me what's got you so secluded all of the sudden?"

Sakura took a sip of her glass and set it down on the rail once more before answering her. "I had an interesting dinner tonight with Oliver."

Xiefa raised a brow not missing the casual way her friend used his first name. She had to admit she was quite surprise by her words. "Just Oliver?"

Sakura sighed before drinking once more from her glass.

Xiefa took a deep breath before carefully saying, "My brother's been trying to reach you the entire night."

"I'm not used to this circus Xiefa." She scoffed and looked at her. "I'm not even sure if I truly want to stay in it either."

Hearing Sakura talk this way about her relationship with her brother gave her the impression there was more to her seclusion than just work. Xiefa stared at her friend but simply asked, "What did Oliver want tonight? I'm surprised Vaunt wasn't there as well considering it had to do with business."

Sakura hesitated before saying, "He wanted to offer me a position inside their company."

"I thought you went to discuss the proposal."

"So did I." Sakura quickly replied.

Xiefa shrugged and casually said, "That's something you have been offered before. Still doesn't explain why you've suddenly decided to temporarily disappear."

"Their headquarters are located in England." Sakura said before drinking once more and turning her sight towards the ocean once more. She knew nothing else needed to be said.

Xiefa scoffed. "You're considering this?"

"I'm considering many things but yes… that happens to be one of them."

"Then allow me to help you with your decision over this. Perhaps you should start thinking what distinguishes you from other girls my brother has played with. That which comes easily goes easily as well and what stops being a challenge becomes boring with time." Xiefa sighed before finally saying, "That been said, I will ask you to at least take away the pain of having my brother calling me every half an hour because he can't find you or else I will give him this address and you can deal with your conscience for his troubles. I leave you to your thoughts." With that being said Xiefa walked away.

Sakura didn't have to turn to know her friend had indeed left. The sound of the door confirmed her exit. She took a deep breath and once more kept pondering her thoughts as she looked at the reflection of the moon in the distant ocean.

~ o ~

_Sixteen hours ago…_

She had worked over night once more. After talking with Vaunt at the game, to get a little more insight on what exactly he wanted his project to be, there was no doubt in her mind she wanted to do it. It had been a long time since she had felt this strong towards a project. Unlike many of the others where Xian would simply pick the ones he was interested in, they would have to put a bid in and simply hope that Vaunt and the board members would choose her proposal above the others. Saving her work, she stood up and stretch in front of her computer. With luck she would be able to present her proposal at tonight's dinner and hopefully they would like it.

She stood up from her chair and grabbing her things walked out of the office. Before showing anything to Vaunt she would definitely have to talk to Xian about it. Even if she was temporarily leading the office she wouldn't do anything without getting his approval first. Stepping out of the elevator she could hear the sound of cameras flicking just in front of the building. Ignoring them, just as usual, she walked up to her car and drove away towards his house.

Her phone rang. The image of her boyfriend flashed to her car screen before she received the call and transfer it to her car speakers. "Hey babe! Are you done with practice?"

"_Yeah. Coach wants us to watch tonight's game. Will you be there or can I persuade you to watch it with us? And when I say 'us' I mean my cousin and I."_

"I have a business meeting tonight so it all depends on how it goes."

"_Okay, so do you want to come afterwards to the hotel?"_

She smiled before saying, "Mmm… I wasn't aware that you were able to have girls visiting you."

_He chuckled and deviously said, "It all depends on where we meet."_

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Liar. Is this how you broke the rules before?" She heard him laugh on the other side of the phone and smirked. 'Busted!'

"_I'm still hurting with your words last night. Was looking forward to you staying as well…"_

"Really…?" she sweetly asked. "Let me tell you I'm not sorry one bit."

_He laughed once more. "Where are you now?"_

"On my way to see your father. There's this project I'm interested in doing and was working on it all night. I want to show it to him before tonight's meeting." She said while turning a corner.

"_Don't you get and automatic approval when he put you in charge of the office?"_

"Still, I want his opinion on it."

"_What kind of project is it?"_

"It's a new hotel. They're looking to build everything from scratch. From what I gathered last night from one of the investors at the game they are looking to have a modern lifestyle theme. They have all their vendors set to start too but they don't have someone who can oversee the entire project. So they're looking to see if you father's company can help them with this along with part of the design."

"_And that will be you?"_

She smiled as she thought about it. "Maybe. It depends on the investors and your father."

"_Didn't my father bring them to the tournament?"_

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I'm the one that will take care of it." She turned another corner almost getting to her destination.

"_Do you want it?"_

"This one is a little more complicated than that. If I agree to do this job I'll probably have to be out most of next year taking care of this one. Not sure your father will like that."

"_But do you want it?"_

"It's a great opportunity. We'll see." She said as she parked her car in front of Li's house. "But I'll talk to you later. I just reached the house."

"_Okay, call me when you get out and let me know how it went."_

"Okay!" she replied feeling a little out of sorts.

"_And good luck!"_

"Thanks!" she said before hanging up. She stayed for a couple of minutes inside her car staring at her phone. With Jun it had been so different. They could spend time talking over the phone and not even once in their relationship he asked her to call back just to let him know how it went on her end. While Jun simply assumed she was always alright, Syaoran had always cared to make sure that she was indeed alright. 'I could easily get used to this again.' She thought while smiling to herself.

~ o ~

'Good luck…' That was all he could say. Even though Xian was his father he knew this was something he couldn't touch. Sakura's work was her own. If he truly didn't knew her he would've been calling his father already to ask him to accept her work proposal but he knew better. Sakura wasn't the type of girl who would abide with that.

He looked at the phone after hanging up with his girlfriend and smiled. They had just reached the hotel after practicing in the morning. "Okay! I call shot gun on the bathroom."

Eriol didn't pay attention to him. He kept talking animatedly to his fiancé over the phone as he lay back on the sofa. "Okay babe I have to go. I need a shower. You wouldn't stand me right now if you came to visit."

_She laughed. "Ew yes! Go shower my smelly goon."_

He chuckled. "I love you!"

"_No I love you more."_

"Don't say that babe. I love you more."

Syaoran rolled his eyes after hearing his cousin. He simply took his shirt off and walked towards the bathroom. He wasn't in the mood for hearing his cousin battle with his fiancé on who love who more. That was just too cheesy for him. It wasn't that he wasn't romantic at all but he just didn't find cheesiness interesting in a relationship. In fact, it bored him. He remembered his friends asked him once some time ago why he couldn't just find a woman and date. The reason had always been simple… they weren't Sakura.

In all those years apart from her, he had met many women. He had tried giving them a chance but none of them would hold his interest for long. And everything came down to the same reasons. They weren't straightforward, most of them were too interested in their appearance instead of just being real, and of course… all of them were interested in dating the player instead of knowing the person behind. All except Sakura.

~ o ~

Knock, knock, knock!

Eriol heard the door and stood from the living room to open the door. "Hey Choi!" he greeted Syaoran's manager and let him through. "He's in the bathroom. Do you want to wait for him?"

Choi nodded.

Eriol closed the door and walked back to the living room. Sitting in the small sofa, he listened to the news as they talked about tonight's game. Spain and Japan were playing to see who reached semi-finals from the other side. He had spoken to Takashi over the phone last night who congratulated them on making it in and at the same time Eriol told him they would be rooting for Japan. It would be exciting to play against Takashi just like they had done on past Asian Cups. Sadly if they were to meet it would have to be on the semifinals since the brackets decided it but nonetheless playing against Japan had always been a match to look forward to.

From the corner of his eye, he noticed his cousin was done and was walking towards the living room.

"Hey Choi! What's up?" he greeted his manager.

His manager looked at him and greeted with the same question Syaoran heard from him over and over again since the incident of his injury. "I came to check up on how you're doing. Is your ankle feeling okay?"

Tired of being asked the same question over and over again Syaoran simply rolled his eyes and tiredly answered, "Yes…"

Hearing Syaoran's bored tone made him chuckled as he turned to watch the news again of the game. "Be honest about it Syaoran. This is not something you should be playing with especially knowing you already signed with Manchester. They are equally worried for your health if not more."

He was 99.9%, if not a hundred, sure that Manchester was not truly worried about his health more like their investment on his playing skills. Reason enough to ignore Choi's lecture about it even if he was his manager. There was nothing he could say that would make him stop playing on the Cup just because Manchester was supposedly worried for his health. "I'm not lying about it Choi. It feels fine."

Choi turned from watching the TV to look at his player. "Ah! Also I need to ask you a question."

Syaoran casually shrugged and simply said, "shoot!"

"Are you going out with Ms. Kinomoto?"

Syaoran stopped watching the TV and stared at his manager. He contemplated how to answer that question without problems. Because of rumors on social networks and apparently the TV he knew sooner or later this conversation would come up. If it would've been someone else who asked him the question he would've simply answered by telling them it wasn't any of their business but considering it was Choi he knew he had to be truthful. His manager had handled his career from the moment he signed his first contract and the only thing he had asked of him was to inform him on anything so he could do his job well.

At Syaoran's silence Choi continued his interrogation. "My phone is ringing off the hook because of the rumors. At the beginning I thought she probably was one more of your night entertainments but my phone hasn't stopped ringing since the moment that picture of you two appeared on TV. Are you or are you not going out with Ms. Kinomoto?"

Eriol, who have been in the room quietly listening, grimaced after Choi's words. He quickly looked towards his cousin and noticed he hadn't moved yet. Knowing how defensive he was about Sakura at least that was a good sign. As long as Syaoran wasn't moving everything was under control… For now…

Syaoran stared at his manager. He didn't like the tone he used to describe his erroneous thoughts on his relationship with Sakura but refrained from saying something hurtful to him and answered, "I am."

"And you don't think this is something I should've known even before the media?" he seriously asked.

Syaoran sighed. "I haven't had a chance of letting you know Choi. I've been focusing on the tournament."

"If you would've been focusing on the tournament you shouldn't have even started whatever it is you have with that girl." Choi ran his hands through his hair and sighed. "I'll release a statement saying that you deny these rumors. In the mean time, end this right away."

Syaoran narrowed his eyes after hearing him. He had been totally refreshed after taking a shower but his mood was quickly dropping with the way this conversation was going. "I will not."

Syaoran's deep voice was Eriol's queue to join the conversation knowing this was probably not going to end well. He quickly stood up from the sofa as he casually walked to stand next to his cousin. He took a deep breath before bringing his arms up as if he was surrendering and said, "I'm sorry guys, I'm sure this conversation is not one I should get involved in, but let's calm down before someone has to call 911 to admit one of you into a hospital." He looked at his cousin who wasn't very pleased before looking back at Choi. He was about to continue when Syaoran interrupted him.

"I said I will not end this. You are my manager. Your job is to handle any type of situation."

Choi crossed his hands on his chest and raised a brow. "And how do you suppose I do that when you have decided not to tell me about it?"

"You know now." Syaoran sternly said.

"Have you gone insane Syaoran?" Choi angrily asked already getting annoyed at the situation. "Getting her into this?"

"This is my decision and it's a decision you have no say in it. I am dating Sakura and will not stop doing so even if you or anyone else wants me to." Syaoran said a little louder than intended.

"Really?" Choi loudly and sarcastically asked before continuing, "Let me tell you something I found out about Ms. Kinomoto. In all her life living here just a few reporters have had the honor of getting a word from her. Cameras are not something she likes to look forward to. Her entire life in here she has lived protected by your father's shadow which is part of what has allowed her to be this successful in her field."

Eriol kept looking at Choi while Syaoran stubbornly looked away. For some reason his mind went back to that Christmas his aunt had planned for all of the family to spend it together in China. Although Syaoran didn't go, he had come with Tomoyo. They had spent an entire week in the cabin and not one single trace could be spotted that led them know she was here. Now that he thought about it well, even though his family knew where she was they never let out one single hint that said anything about her whereabouts. They had been so close to her and yet none of them knew where she had been till they landed a couple of months ago to play in the tournament.

Then it clicked. Choi's words made perfect sense. Sakura had never liked the spotlight but it was more than that. She had always made sure to cover anything that would link her presence anywhere. The reason why Syaoran spent so many years looking for her and didn't find anything had always been because she had learned how to cover her tracks completely. But she hadn't done it alone. She didn't have that kind of influence yet which explains why she stood at Xian's side.

"Your life has been exactly the opposite. Cameras follow you wherever you go. Most of your private life has been recorded for others to see. Your nights with women have made you almost as famous as your plays on the field."

Syaoran shot him a deadly glare before saying, "I don't need you to remind me any of this. I already know this and my answer is still the same. I'm not leaving Sakura. Find a way to deal with it."

"Find a way to deal with it? Are you even listening to yourself? You're leaving in a couple of weeks Syaoran!"

"My decision is final Choi! I will not leave her!" Syaoran said loudly not leaving any room for questions.

Choi stared at him. He hated dealing with a pissed off Syaoran. And honestly, who didn't when he was this headstrong about something? Giving up, he shook his head and sighed. "Fine. I will deal with it just like I've dealt with all of your things but I will let you know she will not come out unscarred from this. When that happens, it's on your head for not listening." He said before walking out of the room.

~ o ~

After parking her car, she walked inside the house. Wei greeted her on the door as always with a smile on his face. She looked around and saw her friends sitting in front of the TV watching the news.

"Sakura! I didn't know you were coming!" Tomoyo was the first one that reacted. She went over to the door and gave her a hug. "Are you going to stay long?"

Sakura shook her head. "I have a meeting tonight. I just stopped by to see how Xian is doing and talk to him before heading over to the office again."

Meiling walked over to the door as well to greet her friend. "Oh! Uncle is upstairs. Can we… talk before you leave?"

She stared at Meiling but nonetheless nodded. "Sure. I'll be back in a couple of minutes." With that been said she walked upstairs to find Xian's room. She watched as Yelan was giving some dishes and cups to one of the maids. Turning her head they each saw each other and smiled.

"Sakura! How's the office dear?"

"Missing Xian. How is he?" she replied.

Yelan opened the door for her. "He's better."

Sakura walked in and smiled. He was straightening himself on the bed sitting against the frame. "No handcuffs this time." She smirked as she got closer to him. "You must be improving."

He narrowed his eyes at her from the bed. "I'm afraid I don't find that funny at all. How's the office?"

She chuckled. Aside from being her boss, Xian had always been like a second father to her since she had arrived here in China. "As good as can be expected. A lot of people are missing you. Your secretary told me to say hi to you and she expects you to recover quickly. The board, well it's something else but you must've known that was bound to happen."

He nodded and sighed. "I don't owe them any explanations. I made my decision and they have to stand by it."

She didn't mind that he had chosen her above Xiefa. Frankly she had been a little worried as to how she would've taken it but in the end she ended up understanding her father's decision. "There's another reason for coming to visit besides wanting to know how you are doing."

He nodded and waited for her to continue.

"I'm having a meeting with Vaunt tonight. I've prepared a proposal for his project but I wanted to make sure this is what you want from them."

He quickly looked at his wife before looking at Sakura again. "Good. Do you have it with you?"

She nodded. Opening her bag she took out a hardcopy of the presentation she would be doing tonight and handed it to him. She watched him go page by page noticing every little detail out of the proposal.

"How long do you expect to be done with it?" he asked as he scrutinized another page.

She looked around the room and found a business magazine next to his night table. Even when he was sick he couldn't keep business away from too long. "Probably about six to eight months depending on how things go."

"Is this something you'd like to do?" he asked.

She sighed. "It is, but I'm not sure you'd be okay with the timeframe of the project. I'd be out of the office for a long time. And I know you still want me to supervise Suri's group from the moment she picks her first project."

He nodded. "When would you be starting if you accept the project?"

"I'm having the meeting tonight. They'll probably give me the details then."

"Go for it." He looked at her and smiled. "If it's something you feel you're interested in then do it. We'll see how we handle your schedule during those months."

She stared at him. What in the world was going on? Did he just agree on her being away from the office for almost the entire year? "Are you sure about this? The proposal is under Li Corp. Any project manager can take care of it as long as there's an agreement signed by both parties."

He nodded. "True, but you worked on that proposal. I can see it in your eyes. You're itching to get this one. Besides, I doubt these people are looking to work with any project manager. Since I started talking with them they have been very impressed with your work."

She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "So I have your permission?"

Yelan kept staring at her husband but didn't say anything. Instead, she walked softly towards the window and kept listening patiently to the conversation.

He nodded once more. "Yep. You're good to go."

She nodded. "Then I'll give you a call and let you know how the meeting goes tonight."

He nodded. She said her goodbyes as he watched her going out of the room.

"Is this what you had planned when you told me you were putting your trust on her? With you having to take more time off from the office I don't think it's wise to have her gone from the office most of the year Xian." Yelan simply said.

"I'm giving Xiefa more responsibility." He simply answered.

Yelan looked at him from the window. "If you think I will let you work like you used to you got another thing coming. I am not planning on being a widow any time soon and will make sure my children are not fatherless because of your unhealthy habits."

He stared at his wife. Her warning duly noted as he sighed and tried to loosen up the mood. "It's not like I'm planning on dying soon love."

The beginnings of a soft smile started appearing on her face before she ended her statement. "I'm merely informing you Xian. Your mind games are only fun if you're present. Your days in the office, my love, are numbered."

He chuckled but decided not to say anything. Instead he grabbed the magazine he had placed in the corner of his night table and started reading another article. Years of marriage had taught him when to speak to his wife and when to just stay silent until the right moment presents itself.

~ o ~

She said her goodbyes and walked downstairs still a little shocked after what happened. Xian had just approved her being out of the office for months. She'd be taking a project that she wanted and she'd be able to add an international project to her portfolio. Now all that was left was the meeting tonight.

Walking down the stairs she saw Meiling standing up from the couch and walking towards her.

"Hey, don't forget me!" Meiling simply said.

Sakura chuckled. "Is everything okay with you?" she asked following Meiling inside Xian's house office.

"Yeah, yeah, it's nothing to worry about. I was just talking last night with Kyu and we both agreed in that you should be my maid of honor."

Sakura surprised looked at her. "What?"

Meiling simply looked at her smiling, "Even after all these years I've always considered you one of my best friends and when I had my fight with Kyu it was your words that got me accepting his proposal so I couldn't think of a better person to fill that spot than you. Well that and the fact that Kyu is so bent on Syaoran being the best man that there's no other way for this to go but for you to be my maid of honor. Please say yes?"

Sakura chuckled. "I'd be honored!" she said giving her friend a hug.

Meiling squealed a little before hugging her friend back. "I still can't believe I'm doing this, but here I go!"

Sakura laughed with her friend. "It's about time too!"

"Yeah… it still feels a little surreal though."

Not long after accepting being Meiling's maid of honor she headed towards her office once more. Working overnight on the proposal and getting Xian's approval had only been the first couple of steps. A lot had to be done before she could actually put her plan into motion. When she reached her office parking lot, she noticed the front door of the building was flooded with more reporters than when she left. She didn't miss several cameramen turning towards her car and quickly using their cameras to take pictures of her. Even during daylight she narrowed her eyes a little noticing how some of those flashes could be seen through the well tinted windows of her car. This was definitely getting annoying.

Pressing a small button of a remote control inside her car, she waited for the electric gate to grant her access. She parked her car and got out. Thankfully the parking lot had a gate that didn't allow anyone without access to get in. Sadly, the same couldn't be said about hearing anything they said. As she was walking towards the building side door, she heard several questions coming from these reporters outside of the building.

'Miss Kinomoto, how do you like your new position? Do you think this call was fair?

'Miss Kinomoto, will this be the future of Li Corp?

'What about Miss Li? Does she agree with this decision?

'Is it true your dating the president's son?

'Is it true you cheated on Senator Eli's son?

'How do you feel about the board member?

But the ones that impacted her the most were the last ones.

'Are you Li Syaoran's latest conquest?

'Is he the reason why you have this position?

She was mad. She was pissed. Entering the building through the side, she walked straight towards the front desk and looked at the manager in charge. "Call security and get all these camera people out of here."

A woman with a blue navy uniform hung up a phone and turned towards her. "Ma'am, I'm not sure that's possible. They are all outside of the building. By law, they are allowed to be outside as long as they're not touching the inside part of our property. I already called."

Sakura took a deep breath, not liking the news, and headed towards the elevator. What the heck was going on?

~ o ~

Ring Ring

"Li Corp's offices, how can I help you?" Suri tiredly but trying to keep her politeness in check answered her phone. If she were to count, she had probably received more than a thousand calls in less than two hours of different channels asking to have an interview with Sakura. "No, I'm sorry. She doesn't do exclusives."

On her other side, Kira was answering phone calls as well and applying Suri's teachings when it came to turn down calls that were meant for Sakura. "Li Corp's offices, how can I help you?" She waited for the person on the line to state his reason for calling before answering, "I'm sorry she's not available at this time. May I take a message?"

Hanging up the phone, Suri looked up and saw a not too happy Sakura walking towards her office. Perhaps telling her that Vaunt and Oliver wanted to have dinner at a French Restaurant wasn't such a good idea to break now. She looked at Sakura's new intern and said, "Kira, go downstairs to the coffee shop down the corner and buy an extra double shot mocha cappuccino for Sakura."

Kira looked at her after hanging up her phone. "But, Miss Kinomoto hasn't asked for anything."

Suri sarcastically smiled at her. "Just do it if you want to survive this afternoon."

Sakura passed them and without a word opened and closed the door of her office. Minutes later, her voice came through the speaker phone, "Suri, I won't be handling any calls today. Is that clear?"

Suri nodded. "Yes. Perfectly." No more words were needed while her new apprentice grabbed her purse and followed Suri's advice.

~ o ~

Their coach gave them an early practice so that they could take it easy for the rest of the evening. He watched through his room's window the day becoming darker with each passing minute. Cars started putting on their headlights down the busy streets of Hong Kong. His phone in his pocket waiting for his girlfriend's call to let him know how things with his father went but his mind kept going back to that day. Her words kept repeating themselves in his mind like a rollercoaster over and over again.

_She tiredly sighed and looked down trying to avoid his eyes. "I don't want this now."_

"_What's this?" he softly asked._

"_This… Us." She said still avoiding his eyes._

He was sure he loved her. There was no doubt in his mind about that. But then again Choi's words had touched something in him. Something deep within him that he had tried to avoid for a long time. Why was he having so much trouble with them? Usually whenever Choi told him something he either decided on following his advice or not but this time it was different. Sakura wasn't just anyone for him.

"Hey man, you okay?" Eriol asked from the couch. The game for the semis between Spain vs Japan was about to start in a couple of minutes.

He kept looking out the window with his phone on hand. "Do you think Choi is right?"

Eriol frowned and looked towards him. He wasn't even aware there was a decision to be made here. He had seen in the past the way Syaoran dealt with Sakura's absence. Though he could understand what Choi had said, going back to being who he was before was a big no no on his part. There was no way he would allow his cousin to go back to who he was before. "Since when do you listen to my opinion?"

Syaoran turned a little his face from the window but retracted from fully turning. Instead, he just kept watching the night view of the city while still thinking about Choi's words.

Eriol knew what was wrong with him. Since his manager's visit early in the afternoon his cousin had been acting a little strange. "If you truly want to know, I don't think that's something that you should be listening from him. If it's been bothering you this much then hear how she feels about this from her lips."

"She's not answering my phone calls." He simply said. He tightened the hold on his phone inside his pocket. He had tried calling her earlier but she hadn't answered her phone.

"Well, she did tell you she was having a meeting tonight. Perhaps she's already there." Eriol simply said before sighing. "Look, I wouldn't worry too much Syaoran just come watch the game. There's not much you can do until she calls you back anyways."

He listened to his cousin but didn't move from the window till the game started. Once he heard the sound of the referee's whistle that announced the commencement of the game, he took a seat next to his cousin and started watching the game. But the wheels on his mind never stopped turning. Something was wrong.

~ o ~

She reached the restaurant. A valet man approached her car and opened the door for her. First thing she noticed was a bunch of cameras taking pictures of her getting out of her car. She didn't quite understand what the whole commotion was about but nonetheless allowed the valet boy to help her out of her car. She walked towards the restaurant trying to conceal her displeasure at so many people taking pictures of her.

As she looked up, the second thing she noticed was that Vaunt was nowhere to be seen. The only one that was waiting for her in the front door was none other than Oliver. Her intuition was already telling her there was something off about tonight but nonetheless she decided to go through with it.

She simply smiled at him. "Oliver! So nice to see you again. Is Vaunt inside?" she asked.

He gave her a kiss on the cheek before smiling at her. "You'll have to forgive my partner. He had some business to attend to and decided to stay at the hotel. I hope you don't mind my company as I know you were expecting to meet him tonight."

She politely smiled at him. "No! Not at all."

"Good! Then come, the waiter already separated our table." He simply said. He put his hand on her lower back which made her feel a little uncomfortable but hiding her displeasure allowed him to lead her to their table.

Once seated, she took out the hardcopy of her proposal to show it to him. She had been expecting to show it to both of them but as the night would have it, Oliver would have to do. "I have prepared a proposal based on your needs for this project and what you expect to accomplish from it." She said while handing him the folder.

He nodded and took it from her. "How about we ask for dinner and I promise to take a look at your proposal afterwards. I don't like doing business with an empty stomach."

She smiled and nodded. As she learned from Suri, who was the one that made the reservation, Oliver was a goner for French Cuisine or more specifically their seafood recipes so she had decided to do this meeting at the best French Restaurant there was in Hong Kong even if that sounded weird. Not to mention Suri knew her well enough to know that any French restaurant would not do for her. She never took pleasure in eating at restaurants where authentic food wasn't served. And yet since she was looking forward to this project she accepted eating here after learning it could help sway their decision. They waited for the waitress to come and take their order.

After getting their drinks from the waitress and ordering their entrees, he smiled at her and asked, "So, how long have you worked for Li Corporation?"

She swallowed her sip of wine and answered, "Seven years going on eight soon."

He widened his eyes, "Seven years and look where you're at right now… your career path is very impressive."

She politely smiled at him. "Thank you for the compliment."

"I heard you are Japanese. When did you decided to move to China?" he asked.

His words brought an alert to her. It was one thing to have a polite business meeting but given her experience when personal details where involved it escalated to a place she was never comfortable in. "I moved when I was eighteen. Since that time I've been working at Li Corp."

"Eighteen?" he asked surprised by that little piece of information. "Weren't you afraid of starting a life at that age?"

She took a deep breath before taking another sip of her wine. "I've always known what I've wanted to do since I was that young. There was no point in delaying my decision."

He nodded. "Are you happy working with Li? Is Li Corp a good company?"

She smiled. "The best. You will find no better company than this one to work with."

He smiled as the waitress came and served their food. They silently ate their dinner. As promised, Oliver took out the proposal and started reading it as he ate. He asked her a few questions about it but didn't give her any indication that he was either pleased or displeased with the proposal.

He hadn't finished reading the entire proposal when he put it down on the table and looked at her. "Let me ask you something else. Something a little bit more personal. Are you dating Mr. Li's son?"

She stopped eating her scallops and intently stared at him. "With all due respect Oliver, I don't discuss my personal life with business partners."

He cleaned the sides of his lips before saying, "I'm not asking you to discuss your life only to confirm some rumors that are going around lately these days. It's only a mere question of yes or no. I'm not interested in hearing details."

She took a deep breath trying for it not to be too noticeable. "I'm not quite sure why this would be relevant to the project."

He knowingly smiled. "Then let me indulge you Ms. Kinomoto. Vaunt and myself like keeping our projects and new developments as close as possible till the opening date. Quite frankly, I'm beginning to have doubts on your ability to do this. Not to mention your poor decision making, if the rumors were to be true, is also affecting our decision on this. We wish to close the deal as soon as possible but there are a few lose ends we wish to tie before making our final decision."

She calmly stared at him. Just like Xian had taught her throughout the years she masked her true feelings towards this conversation. If it wasn't because she truly liked the project she would have put this man on his place for the insult but considering everything that was at stake she simply decided to take a sip of her wine to calm down before answering him. "My fame inside the business field should be enough for you to know the type of person you're dealing with."

"Your fame was not built while you were dating your company's president son." He said while grabbing his glass as well and added before drinking, "Of course, this is all speculation till you are willing to answer my question."

She tried to read his moves but for some reason she wasn't picking up where this conversation was headed. There was a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that this meeting had other motives as well but she couldn't quite put her finger on whether she was right or not. This brought her to her next conclusion, no matter how young Oliver seemed to be she wasn't dealing with her typical Chinese client. Oliver was quite good at hiding his intentions. "Then I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you once more… I stand by my first response. But in any case you still have doubts, the same way I don't discuss my personal life with business partners I don't mix business with anything personal. So whether I built my fame with or without rumors doesn't inflict in the way I do my job."

Oliver smiled. "I see… You're a strong woman."

He had been analyzing her from the moment this night had started. She knew that much. "It's the way I've been taught from the moment I started working professionally."

"Then allow me to indulge you in another matter. What if I offer you what no one else has been able to offer you?"

~ o ~

_Back to present…_

The game ended with Japan winning over Spain. Within the added time of the game, after the regular ninety minutes, Takashi was able to hit a center ball and one of his teammates put the ball on the other team's net making them pass to the semifinals in an amazing well played game by both teams. Final score being 2-1.

He looked at his phone while passing it from hand to hand. Sakura still hadn't called. He had called two of his sisters already. One of them decided not to tell him anything except the fact that she had a house somewhere aside from her apartment and the other one wasn't even answering any of his calls either. The more he thought about it the more anxious he became as he kept thinking something was wrong. He took a deep breath before dialing her again.

"_Hello?"_

His heartbeat raised a thousand miles per hour as he realized she was finally answering. He hesitated before asking, "Are you okay?"

"_Yeah." She softly answered._

He painfully closed his eyes. There was no apology, no words that explained why she didn't answer her phone earlier, no reason as to why she had avoided his calls all day. He had been able to speak with her early in the morning but throughout the day it was as if he had fallen into a void space. He didn't exist anymore for her until now and the worst part was that he felt she was hiding something. "How was your meeting?"

"_Short." _

There it was again. Monosyllables… The perfect language and quickest way to have him frustrated for the rest of his stay in this hotel. He took a deep breath. "Talk to me Sak."

_She hesitated before answering, "What do you want me to say?"_

He softly asked trying to hide the pain he was already feeling in his chest. "Where are you?"

"_Are you ready for your game?"_

He ran his hands through his hair a little exasperated knowing where this conversation was heading to. "I want to see you."

"_We both know that's not possible."_

"Are you not close?"

"_You'll see me at the end of the tournament. I already promised you I would be here."_

He hesitated before sighing. This wasn't good. "You're not okay. You can barely talk to me. Are you regretting giving us a second chance?"

**Author's Note:** So here's chapter 18 Finally! Well first of all I want to thank all of you who reviewed my last chapter. You guys are awesome. I'm sorry guys this chapter took so long to be put in here but just to let you know I was trying to find a little bit of inspiration for this one. As it so happens I went back to re-reading this story completely and as I was doing that I started to find some mistakes or things that could be written in a better way on previous chapters. So I decided on replacing every chapter of this story. So far I've replaced all the way to Chapter 11 and hopefully the rest of them I'll be able to replace soon. Now, don't alarm yourselves I didn't change anything about the story line but I did change for example some misspellings I found in previous chapters along with things I found I could've described better. So hence why it took me forever to update this story. But hopefully you guys will like this chapter as well and review it to let me know how you feel about it. For those of you who choose to re-read the story I would appreciate if you let me know if you like it better or simply you feel the same way. I'll greatly appreciate it.


	19. Chapter 19 - Let Bygones Be Bygones

"_**There's going to be very painful moments in your life that will change your entire world in a matter of minutes. These moments will change you. Let them make you stronger, smarter, kinder. But don't you go and become someone that you're not. Cry. Scream if you want to. Then you straighten out that crown and keep it moving." - Brigitte**_

**Chapter 19  
"Let Bygones be Bygones"**

People walked in and out of the hotel with such easiness. Some were entering with bags, others were leaving as one of the employees grabbed them a taxi and helped them with their bags. Most of the people leaving though she could easily see were soccer players considering the tournament had ended for some of the teams already. If the motor coach bus arriving in front of the hotel didn't give them away their similar dress code and sport bags in their hand could have been sufficient. Everyone seemed so casual, so naturally at ease. 'Perhaps because they truly are.' She thought before sighing. Everyone seemed fine except her.

She, on the other hand, stayed inside her car watching every movement that caught her attention. It would've been nice to be able to walk through the hotel doors casually with no care in the world but alas she knew without the need for trying that luck would not be on her side with this one. As of last night she had officially become what she in her own words called a social clown… Society called it a gossip icon. She sighed one more time. Her life was slowly becoming a nightmare. Reporters had swamped her apartment making her temporarily move out, appeared in one of the most important meetings of her career, and had taken over part of her office building. Her image had been hammered on social media and all for what? Was all of this worth it?

Last night had almost taken what truly mattered to her right now. In her night driven by bottles of wine the thought of leaving him had been present in her mind even if she knew deep down inside she wouldn't be able to go through with it. Nonetheless it took her several hours to get that thought out of her head by reminding herself that this was part of what she signed for when she accepted going back to him. This was only one more step she had to take in order to make this relationship work. It wasn't as if she hadn't known what she was getting into. And yet the same question kept coming to mind… Was he worth all of this? She was perfectly aware of what going back to him meant but that small fact didn't make this any easier to handle.

She took a deep breath as she saw her assistant walking back towards the car.

Suri opened the door bending down so she could see Sakura. "He's in the lobby."

Sakura nodded before getting out. There was no point in delaying this matter any longer.

~ o ~

To be awake in early hours of the day had never been a problem for him. He had accustomed his body to do so every day to train which helped him tremendously in a day like today when their coach decided to change their routine. They were to watch film first thing in the morning, eat breakfast as a team and then practice two hours earlier than usual. His excuse had been simple… the earlier they practice the more time they would have to recuperate at night. Not that it mattered much to him since he barely slept at night but considering he had been working all this time for this particular tournament he understood his coach's reasoning.

As soon as he reached the lobby, he walked towards the bar. Setting his backpack on the floor right next to him, he waited for one of the employees to pour him a glass of water and drank from it before setting it down on the bar. He looked at his watch and sighed. He still had forty five minutes to spare until the rest of his teammates would meet him in the lobby which also meant he had forty five minutes to think about what had plagued his mind last night. After just a couple of weeks he had another fight with Sakura over the phone.

"_This is not something I want to talk over the phone." He clearly told her_

"_Syaoran-" she started saying but he interrupted her._

"_No. I want to see you." He demanded. _

"_You're going to make me go all the way to the hotel?" she asked not believing he would truly confirm it._

"_Yes!" He quickly answered. "You clearly don't want to speak over the phone either then might as well come over or give me your address and I'll go wherever you're at."_

"_You can't get out of the hotel!"_

"_Then I'll meet you here but we're talking about this Sakura face to face!" he demanded._

Rubbing his temple with his fingers he took a deep breath before thoughtfully rounding the top part of his glass of water with his finger. Sakura was indeed worst to deal with than his cousin Meiling. A couple of weeks ago he had a similar discussion with his friends regarding which girlfriend was worst to deal with… Sakura by far led the competition according to him. She had such a facility to infuriate him with mere words, or in this case lack of words, it was almost unbelievable to describe.

A young woman refilled his glass of water before reclining herself in a provocatively way on the bar in front of him. She smiled flirtatiously towards him before asking, "Why the long face hunk?"

Having a vast experience with women he only had to look at her once to know immediately what she was looking for. His history didn't help control women from throwing themselves at him whenever they could. Bored by her actions he sighed before taking a sip of his water and putting the glass down once again. "With all due respect, it's nothing that concerns you."

She smiled at him. "You can't be that worried about the game… You have everything you need to beat Japan. You have done it in the past."

He looked at her eyes and stared at her wondering how in the world he had ever been able to stomach all of this before. For years he met woman like these who didn't take long to figure out what they wanted, play with them, and then discarded them once he achieved what he wanted from them. Usually his little game wouldn't last long. A woman like this usually took him a week at the most. But after finding Sakura he had lost all interest in meeting other women and he knew why. Still, he was a famous soccer player. Even though he sometimes didn't like it he had learned to be a little more lenient towards these things. He smirked trying to be polite. "Have I?"

She nodded while keeping her smile.

"Do you like working for my father?" he curiously asked changing the subject.

The bar girl nodded. "He is one of the best bosses I have ever worked with although the same can't be said about his assistant."

To this he chuckled. "May I ask why?"

Confidently smiling she answered, "I believe she's a little arrogant and most of the time she doesn't know how to handle things correctly. Your father could do so much better having more reliable and loyal people around him."

This grasped his attention as he smiled at her. "You really think so? I've heard the company is doing a lot better since she started working for him. Revenues have increased more than thirty percent within the last five years."

She shook her head. "That's what some people say but I know better. You see this hotel? She could've done a better job with the opening dinner by inviting important people from the outside to join in but instead she decided to do the dinner with only the delegations assisting the event."

He nodded after hearing her and took another sip of his water. He felt her hand touch his as he set his glass down but didn't say anything.

"You know, if what they're saying around the news is true, you could also do so much better than her. It'd be a shame to waste your time on someone as close minded as her."

And there it was, what she truly wanted to say from the very beginning came out. He sighed and took her hand politely out of his. He finished drinking the rest of his water before putting the empty glass down. "Thanks for the water." He said before grabbing his bag from the floor and turning away from her.

The view that met him was unmistakable. Sakura was standing in front of the hotel doors with not a too happy face on which meant she had seeing everything. Or more precisely she had seeing when the girl touched his hand and he let her. She looked towards her left side before walking towards the elevator. Following her gaze, he saw a bunch of reporters looking through the restaurant glass waiting on him to make a move.

"Syaoran!"

He heard his name being called from behind and he turned to meet Mark. He waited for the captain to reach him. "We should talk about our strategy for when we play against Japan man. I mean, we have played them several times already. They probably know most of our plays right now. What do you think if we come up with new plays for this upcoming game?"

Syaoran frowned. He felt his captain's hand over his shoulder as he forced him to turn around while talking. "I think we're too late for that Mark. Besides, you know-"

Mark lowered his voice before saying, "Just go along with it or else Suri might kill me."

Syaoran looked at his captain before understanding. A man carrying a camera on his side passed them by as Syaoran quickly replied a little louder than usual, "I can always ask coach for the video and we can sit to analyze what we can work on better."

Mark led him to the back of the building. He remembered this corridor from when he asked Sakura to be his date for the opening ceremony dinner. As he reached the same room where he had found her, Suri turned around and sighed before smiling. "Finally! I wasn't sure if this was going to work."

"Did she ask you to do this?" he asked while getting Mark's hand out of his shoulder.

Suri handed him a door key before saying, "She's in room 403. I suggest you take the backdoor stairs instead of the elevator."

"I'll be waiting for you here. It won't be good if reporters see you walking out through the elevators. Don't take too long though. We do need to watch film and coach already said it was on the conference room this time before breakfast." Mark added.

He nodded taking the key from them and walking towards the stairs like Suri suggested. He walked through the corridor till he stood before the room. Taking a deep breath he put the key in and walked inside letting the door close itself after walking in.

Sakura stopped and took a deep breath before turning around and looking at him. "Is this something that will happen often after having an argument with you?

He put his hands in his pockets as he stared at her. Aside from being frustrated with this whole thing, the conversation he had with that girl added to his foul mood. "I'm not even sure why we're arguing to begin with. I mean other than the fact that you keep hiding things from me."

The tone in which he said those words told her he was indeed angry but after his little display downstairs this was not something she was willing to let go so easily. "Do I need to worry every time we argue about something Xiaolang?" she asked a little louder than she had meant.

He sighed and shook his head. "You know I would never do that, so why don't you tell what's going on? Why, after talking about this, you're still ignoring my calls?"

She turned from him and walked a few steps making sure to breathe in and out. One would think that, being a project manager and everything, she wouldn't have so much difficulty communicating her thoughts on something. Yet, what she was about to say dwelled on her for the entire night and was still giving her a headache this morning when she woke up and decided to go to the hotel after all. She finally stopped and looked at him. "There's no other way for me to say this but straight out so bear with me. I'm having trouble dealing with us."

"Why?" he asked in a serious tone.

He was pissed. She knew that much. In reality she wanted to be able to say she wanted her life to be just as peaceful as it had been before he stepped back into her life but she simply couldn't. One because she knew it wasn't completely true and second because she had already been through the pain of missing him once. "I've always like my privacy Syaoran. Even after becoming one of the most famous project managers in China my privacy has been respected and well kept. My life has never involved trying to hide from reporters or paparazzis or whoever decides to follow you around."

"It's just a matter of ignoring them." he said trying to reason with her.

"Is it?" she quickly asked already feeling a little defensive with having to explain her reason for her sudden disappearance yesterday. "I went last night to have a business meeting and found myself feeling as if I was walking down the red carpet for the Oscars."

Choi's words kept repeating themselves in his head the entire night. In a normal day and speaking of another woman he would've listened to his manager but with Sakura it was different. Although his words made sense to him, he felt inside he couldn't let her go. Then he remembered the reporter that had just passed him by a couple of minutes ago. He wouldn't be the only one that would try to make news out of his name or her name for that matter. A sudden need for air breached him as he heard her words. He shook his head as he looked away from her. "I'm sorry. That's not something I can control Sakura. I can give you many other things but that's not something I can do."

She stared at him silently before saying, "I'm not trying to make you feel guilty Syaoran. I know you can't control that but I'm asking you to understand how I feel. You grew slowly with it. The better you were inside the field the more famous you became and the more they followed you around. In my case, I hated all of it which is why I avoided dealing with reporters and appearing in tabloids whenever I had the chance."

Fear ran through his body like a rapid river. Last time, he was the one that decided to breakup yet the final decision had been hers when she left. This time, he knew he would never make that decision again yet she still held the final word. Given the position he was in, not been able to get out of the hotel impeded him from stopping her if she ever decided to leave again. He slowly walked towards her and hugged her. "I don't want to lose you."

His honesty tugged at her heart. His tight embrace made her smile a little as she hugged his waist and took a deep breath. A soft sandalwood musk scent invaded her senses as she relaxed in his arms. Her mind had been so confused last night she thought she would go crazy. "I'm not talking about breaking up Syaoran I just… I need you to understand. I need some time to handle this, to adapt. And the only way I know how to do this is walking away from all this madness for a little while until I figure out how to handle this on my own. This is not easy for me and you getting anxious and getting to your own conclusions is not helping me either."

He nodded before taking a deep breath. "Then take the time that you need. I just don't want us to grow apart again Sak. I care about you. I need to hear from you. You want to take time, that's fine with me but at least be honest with me on how you're doing."

She heard him and nodded in his embrace but wanting to stay close with him for a little bit longer didn't let go. A simple thought entered her mind… She was so ready for this tournament to be over. "Are you guys ready for the semis? I heard Japan won."

He smiled at her comment. "I'm making history next week. Don't blink as you watch me."

His comment made her chuckled. She loved even his arrogance. They were scheduled to play their semifinals tomorrow and finally, if they won, playing the finals next week. She searched his face till she found his lips and kissed him. This was all she needed.

When the kiss ended he softly said, "I didn't know you bought a house here."

She wanted to say many things about that. Feimei had already told her how he got last night when he tried to reach her but decided to wait. The time wasn't right yet so she simply smiled before saying, "You're the third person that knows."

"Who else knows besides Feimei?" he curiously asked. A nagging feeling started forming in the back of his head about this most recent discovery.

"Your sister Xiefa."

He nodded. There was still something strange about that but decided not to push her answer. She had just told him she needed time to deal with their relationship so he would honor her request by not adding something else to the plate. "Have you decided where to go yet?"

She shook her head and smiled while looking at him. "I have absolutely no idea where to go."

He smirked. "I'm fine as long as it has a comfortable bed in it."

She smirked as well. "If I remember correctly, you said you would behave."

"What are you talking about?" He innocently asked. "I'm only saying because I need to look towards my recuperation after this tournament. You know… making sure my ankle gets the needed rest before I start season."

She laughed. "Right… So what do you think of booking two rooms instead of one?"

He feigned a shock expression before saying, "Do you not trust me?"

She shrugged and innocently said, "I thought that perhaps, thinking about your recuperation and all, it would be better not to put you in any harms way or temptations for that matter."

He laughed and insisted, "I promise I'll behave. Would that do it?"

She laughed as well before kissing him again. If there was something that she knew she would never get tired of were his kisses. His soft lips pressing against hers was everything she needed to start her day in a better mood than the way it ended last night.

"I have to go. My teammates will probably wonder why I'm not in the lobby already."

She nodded and let him go glad that she was able to talk to him about some of her current concerns. Not that they were the only ones but the others could wait till after the tournament. She hated the fact that they had to deal with this now. Thinking about him, she was certain that even his arrogance was not enough to keep his mind occupied from worries about the tournament. He wasn't the captain but inside the field he was their leader.

Before leaving, he turned from the door to look at her. "One more thing, I want you to fire that girl at the bar."

Sakura questionable stared at him and chuckled. He truly couldn't be serious, right? "What? You didn't like her flirting?"

He stared at her back. "I'm serious Sak. You were present when my mother told me if I didn't like someone I could simply ask you to remove them from my sight. So, I want you to fire that girl."

She scoffed. "Keira is one of the best servers we have in this hotel. I can't just fire someone out of a whim."

He shrugged. "Then you can put her reason being she's badmouthing my family."

Sakura questionably stared at him. "Keira has always been a very loyal employee. She speaks very highly of your father and this hotel."

He simply stared at her. It was true that she didn't say anything bad about Xian but she made the mistake of insulting Sakura in front of him. Not to mention her flirtatious chat with him… "I want her out Sakura."

"Wait!" she called out. She provocatively smiled at him as she walked slowly toward him and snaked her arms around his neck. She reached up and kissed him slowly playing with his lower lip before sweetly asking, "Why don't you tell me what's truly bothering you and I'll see what I can do?"

He smirked. "Mmm… you know, that would've worked out on me seven years ago but thanks for the kiss. I truly enjoyed it." He said giving her a last quick kiss before detangling her arms out of his neck. "As for what you can do, you're temporarily replacing my father which means you can do whatever you want to." Smirking, he turned around to walk back towards his teammates once more.

She stared at his back as he walked away and narrowed her eyes. A small playful smile started forming itself on her face. It was true. Years ago it would've worked perfectly fine on him. Apparently she would have to find new ways to manipulate getting what she wanted out of him. She didn't know what pissed him off about Keira but he had never been someone who would do something out of a whim. Nonetheless Yelan had been very specific towards her son's needs. If he wanted the girl fired there was nothing she could do about it.

~ o ~

He felt a lot more at ease after talking to Sakura. Going back the same way he got in, he reached the room on the back and found Mark flirting with Suri. He cleared his throat to announce he had just gotten back which made Mark quickly untangled himself from his girlfriend. Syaoran smirked before looking at Suri. "Thanks again!"

Suri narrowed her eyes at him making it a little obvious she wasn't at all happy with being interrupted from the few minutes she had with her boyfriend. "Can you please stop making this a habit…?"

He sighed and rolled his eyes at her suggestion. It wasn't like he enjoyed having fights with Sakura so much that he picked which days he eagerly wanted to have one. Nonetheless he decided not to say anything remembering that having Suri at his side was a lot better than having her working against him. It still amazed him how much she had learned from Sakura. "Captain?" he sarcastically asked.

Mark nodded and looked at his girlfriend. "I'll see you around babe."

Suri sweetly smiled and nodded thinking the only reason why she went along with doing this was to actually have her boss in a good mood throughout the day. The reporters' incessant calls during the day yesterday had ruined Sakura's tolerance and without a doubt they brought hers and Kira's day down as well. There was no way she would go through the same pain today.

Her phone started ringing. She looked at the caller ID and saw the name of her boss on the screen. She quickly picked up. "He's already gone. I'll have the car ready." With that being said, she hung up and walked towards the back to bring the car in front of the hotel.

~ o ~

"Okay! So everyone good with your notes on their game?" their coach asked stopping the video tape that contained Spain vs Japan's game and looking at his group of athletes. They had spent an hour watching film on the other team and planning their counterattacks for their plays.

They all nodded.

"Good. Then we'll head over for breakfast now. After, you'll have fifteen minutes to get everything ready to head to the field. We leave at ten."

Syaoran closed his binder and put it on his bag. Unlike his teammates, he had come totally prepared to watch film and head out but then again they were a team. Even if he was ready to practice they all had to wait for each other to have their breakfast and then be on their way to the field.

They had their breakfast and, after a fifteen minute drive, they practiced as usual. The game was set to be played tomorrow and since they were playing the semi-finals against a team they had played countless of times already they had worked towards making new plays in case the old ones stopped working on them. It wasn't a matter of changing anything more like adding a few more plays and moves as a plan B. Having Syaoran back on the team, the coach decided to focus more on practicing their defense knowing their offense was practically taken care of.

A whistle was heard in the distance. "Good! Gather around." The coach said. He waited for the rest of the team to reach the middle of the field before saying, "Good job today on practice guys. Make sure to rest well tonight and be responsible with your bodies. We must stay focused. Eyes on the prize, got it?"

"Yes!" the team shouted.

"Alright on three, Go China!" the coach said before counting.

Their little cheer was their queue that practice was over. For the first time in a while Syaoran felt satisfied with how practice had ended. Everyone finally felt like they were fitting in the spaces according to him. Even the guys that usually started on the bench watching the game from the side seemed to understand the importance of always being prepared in case they were needed at some point in the game. Practice ran smoothly. Everyone focused on the new plays and seemed to understand them well which was essential to have a good execution of them when the game came.

While the team walked back to their locker room to shower, Syaoran grabbed his usual ten balls and centered them on the penalty line. He looked towards the net before kicking the first one to score. It was a habit of his to finish practice and always do the same.

"How's your ankle feeling?"

He looked towards his side and rolled his eyes looking at Tan's approaching form. "Do you really care?"

Tan watched him kick in the second ball before getting ready to hit the third. "I do. As an assistant coach I need to make sure our players are at their best."

Syaoran scoffed but nonetheless concentrated on kicking the ball towards the net. As his previous attempts he scored his third ball before looking at him. "Are you that concern that I achieve what you never could?"

Tan smirked and crossed his arms over his chest. "You know, one of these days that mouth of yours will bring you trouble. Then you'll remember this day."

He looked away and sighed already feeling annoyed with the conversation. He located his fourth ball in front of him. "What do you want Tan?"

"My question is sincere."

"That'll be the first." He said rolling his eyes once again. He looked towards the net and kicked the ball inside.

Tan shrugged. "Better late than never, I guess."

Syaoran looked at him once more. For some reason he couldn't quite put where this conversation was heading. Putting his hands on his waist he waited for Tan to continue.

"Look, I know I've given you enough reasons for you to think I don't care but I do. I'm not looking forward to history repeating itself."

"It's not." Syaoran said while staring at him. Obviously his mere presence was bothering him especially since he was getting in between his penalty kick shootout but waited for him to finish.

Tan smirked and shook his head. "I used to think like you, you know..." He sighed before saying, "You're ankle is not all you need for the rest of the tournament. Make sure you don't lose your focus. We're only two games away but the most important one is the one tomorrow."

He watched as Tan walked away after saying those words. The way he remembered, Tan had been the star four years ago. Everyone thought the team was good enough to reach the finals and yet it never happened. The moment they had needed him the most he ended up not playing at his best. At that time, Syaoran had to conform himself with watching most of the game from the bench. The emotions that he felt as he watched the team flunk that last game was indescribable but the game had been a lesson as well. He grasped from that experience what he needed to make sure history didn't repeat itself.

As he watched Tan's retreating form he realized for the first time Tan hadn't insulted him or even looked for a way to piss him off. His words hadn't come as a way to diminish his dream of winning that Cup but as a piece of advice from a man who once had all the means to reach what other's had thought was unreachable and lose everything to his overconfidence on himself. Four years ago they had been so close and yet one game had decided their fate. Sighing, he grabbed the next ball, set it in front of him, and kicked it inside the goal net. Contraire to Tan, he was going to make sure everything he had endured so far meant something.

~ o ~

Colored papers covered most of the coffee table space. Even though the wedding was set to take place the next year Tomoyo was bent on having everything perfect for that day. So choosing everything early was a must since, according to her, the quicker she picked things the easier it would be to finish planning her wedding. Picking things with enough time gave her a certain tranquility knowing that everything was taken care of on time. No surprises.

She picked a dark tone of pink paper and put it on the side of a light blue one. "Nope." Putting the paper aside, she picked another colored paper. This time it was a lime green tone.

"Aaaahhhh!"

A woman scream was heard throughout the hallway. Tomoyo quickly dropped both papers and got up. Noticing the scream had come from Meiling's room, she started running towards it. She quickly opened the door and found her jumping up and down on the same spot. Her face filled with excitement as she as she kept jumping up and down with her phone on her chest. "Meiling! Are you okay?"

"Tomoyo!" Meiling stopped jumping but kept her face with the same expression. "You won't believe who just called me."

Tomoyo frowned and smiled at her friend. "Who did?"

"Carli."

Tomoyo kept staring at her. Her dreamful overexcited eyes made her think that perhaps Meiling had finally gone crazy. I mean… she received a call from her assistant. What was so special about that? Nonetheless Tomoyo stayed silent and waited for her to indulge in her answer.

Meiling took a deep breath to calm her excitement before continuing. "Carli called me. Apparently Won wants me to model in his famous annual runway. Isn't that amazing?"

"Won? As in Taio Won?" Tomoyo asked.

"Yes! Isn't this amazing? Every year he chooses twelve models for his fashion show and guess who he considered to be part of those twelve this year? Me! Aaaahhhh!" Meiling couldn't contain her excitement once again. The more she thought about it the more ecstatic she felt. She was as thrilled as a kid was when receiving a Christmas present.

Tomoyo knew who Taio was perfectly well. She was happy for her friend considering this was a huge honor. It was well known in the fashion industry not any model could walk his runways. However there was one small problem with her news…

"When's the runway?" she timidly asked trying not to show her concern.

"Two weeks from now, which makes it perfect since I thought I would have to leave right after the tournament but seeing as it is here I can stay a little longer with Kyu. Isn't this amazing?"

Tomoyo nodded. "Speaking about Kyu, you do know that Taio is famous because of his women underwear…"

"Oh but that's not all he sells. I mean, the guy is a genius when it comes to making comfortable sexy clothing but he does other type of clothing as well. I can't wait. I should tell Carli to get me an appointment at the Spa to prepare for the shoot. Maybe even cut my hair so that the ends are healthy for the runway."

"Are you telling Kyu about this?" Tomoyo carefully asked. She was truly happy at the opportunity her friend was receiving but she wasn't too convinced that this was such a good idea. Given the facts, Taio was well known in the industry for his underwear line. He did have other lines aside from the underwear but the most famous ones where the undies. So most of his fashion shows would have a segment dedicated to that department. Hence why she didn't wanted Meiling to feel bad about it but at the same time she had a hunch it wasn't a great idea after all.

"Yes, yes…" She quickly dismissed Tomoyo's concern while clicking her speed dial no. 2. "Carli, please get me an appointment on the Spa either this week or the next."

Tomoyo overheard her friend and sighed. She thought that perhaps Meiling getting engaged would make her change some of her bad habits but by the way she was acting it was clear she wouldn't. One would think after last time she would've learned from her mistakes.

~ o ~

Sakura looked at the figures generated by the tournament so far. Analyzing had always been one of her favorite things aside from the planning. The tournament so far was doing really good. Merchandise had been selling more than what they had estimated because China had finally made it to semifinals. The player jerseys and posters had been selling like hot potato. She had to call the manufacturing company already to ask for an emergency order of the jerseys because of how fast they were selling.

The sound of the door opening and closing afterwards pause her entertainment for now as she glanced at Xiefa walking with a smile on her face. "I have a good and a bad news for you but I'll go with the bad one first."

As usual, whenever Xiefa came with news she offered both but always ended up deciding herself which one to break first. Sakura waited for her friend to continue but instead she received a newspaper that was given by her friend. Carefully she took it in her hands and opened it. The only thing that stood out from it was the title that read in bold letters _**Kaliu Corporation hires Michael Jefferson for New Luxury Hotel. **_She had a bad feeling last night when dinner ended and right now the newspaper confirmed her doubts.

"Don't dwell on it too much. Perhaps it wasn't meant to be." Xiefa simply said.

"Yeah." Sakura simply said not showing much emotion towards it. Deep down she was a little sad to know they had actually decided for the other person but there was not much she could do now. Not dwelling on it, like her friend suggested, was probably the best way for now. "And the good? I do hope they are truly good…"

Xiefa smirked. "Guess what I found?" She started walking through her office with an air that portrayed that whatever she was about to say was indeed something that Sakura would truly like.

Sakura shrugged but kept watching her friend closely. "What?"

"How much would you pay for that picture that made you so popular?" Xiefa deviously asked.

Sakura's ears were all Xiefa's right now. Her undivided attention had turned towards her friend with a small smile appearing on her face. She put her iPad down putting her elbows on the desk as if she were negotiating a new contract with a client. Since they both started working for the company they came up with this little guessing game to keep their minds occupied instead of being bored some days at the office. "What exactly are we talking about?"

Xiefa chuckled. "Put a price Sakura. I'm not making this one easy on you."

Sakura thought for mere seconds before saying, "Fifty."

Xiefa frowned questioning her friend's guess. "Fifty?"

"Thousand." Sakura finished.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk… You're off Sakura." Xiefa said shaking her head.

Her reaction made Sakura raised a brow. "Really…?"

"My brother's past costs more than that. A lot more considering you were his only girlfriend and now are leading my father's company."

Sakura leaned back and crossed her arms in front of her thinking about this. "Is the amount inside the thousands?"

"It is."

"Seventy Five Thousand."

Xiefa chuckled and shook her head. "My, my… I can see you're out of practice."

Sakura sighed and rolled her eyes before giving up. "Fine, spill it."

Smirking, Xiefa said, "Your cousin received one hundred and fifty thousand dollars to sell that picture to Katherine."

Sakura had a feeling it had been her but not having any evidence decided to leave it be. A picture as personal as that one could only be given by people who had been close to her on that time and weren't okay with her relationship with Syaoran at the time which only left her with two options… her father or her cousin. "How do you know?"

"The beauty of having connections." Xiefa said while smiling. "It so happens that Meiling's manager, Carli, is a really good friend of your cousin's manager. They were texting the other days and apparently in one of her rampages her manager texted the picture of the check Katherine wrote to her for your picture telling Carli she wasn't too sure what to do with it."

Sakura stayed silent.

"But wait! This gets better. I wasn't too sure what the whole big deal of it was till I spoke with Carli. Apparently the last contract your cousin signed with the modeling company has a clause in it that states that Sayuri is an exclusive model for them. She can't receive income from any other sources that doesn't go through the company. Any contracts, deals, offers, social or income generating activities must go through the company."

She didn't need Xiefa to continue. The text was enough to confirm the check was given to her cousin which meant she didn't comply with her agreement. Inside her manager's fit because of the money received she had made the mistake of texting the check and letting Meiling's manager know of the situation. "Does your father know about this?"

"Did I not show you the newspaper first?" Xiefa asked before continuing. "Our company just lost a great deal due to wrong accusations towards your name. The picture is already in the lawyer's office. I'm merely informing you of the good news."

Sakura scoffed before laughing. Her friend was indeed a force to be reckoned with. "Remind me not to ever be on your bad side."

Xiefa smirked. "It's not my fault that some people are so careless. But I won't complain… some just make my day."

Sakura chuckled.

~ o ~

"You were so lucky to get that tip Katherine. The news is spreading so quickly. I wouldn't be surprised if the producer decided to make you one of the anchors soon."

"Thanks Yuri. My intuition never fails. After seeing her I just knew she was hiding who she really was." Katherine proudly said to one of her coworkers while fixing her hair looking at a small hand mirror. She took out a small lipstick to re-touch her makeup as well before closing the mirror and looking back at Yuri. "She may have been too good for other reporters but I knew sooner or later I would be able to catch her real game at this. Who knows… she may have even flirt her way up to that temporary president position."

"You think?" Yuri shocked asked her.

Katherine narrowed her eyes. "I wouldn't put it past her. I've met her several times face to face, you know... Actually, now that I think about it, when I went to Japan to start working on Li's documental she was meeting with another man over there too."

"Really?" Yuri asked. "I can't believe it. She looked so careful and conservative."

Katherine scoffed. "I don't think the word conservative fits her, don't you think? After everything I've found out about her I'd say she's more cunning and sly than what she looks like."

Yuri took a deep breath and looked away. She saw their boss entering their floor and stood up to greet him. "Toshi. What a pleasant surprised to see you here." She said.

Katherine looked towards the door and gave a small bow to greet him as well. He wasn't alone, which she found strange considering Toshi never liked having meetings inside the office. If he were to have a meeting an outside place would do for him. About five more guys all well dressed up in their suits followed him as he swiftly closed the distance between them. "Toshi, how have you been?"

Toshi stood before her and bluntly said, "Katherine, we need to speak in private. Follow me to the office."

She was surprised by his bluntness but nonetheless followed him like he asked. Once inside, one of the guys accompanying him closed the door after all of them were inside.

Toshi looked straight at her. "I need the evidence you have for this Kinomoto news."

His words made her heartbeat raised. "The evidence?"

"You told me you have evidence for this before airing the news. It was the only reason why I allowed you to air it."

She was speechless. The wheels in her head started turning quickly trying to understand what was going on in here. "Yes. But why do you need it? I mean, I know you're my boss and everything but that's my piece. I researched everything."

Toshi narrowed his eyes at her. "Katherine, I will be very direct with this. Is your research complete?"

She frowned. "Off course. Why wouldn't it be?"

"Then put it all together and give everything to these men. They will take care of it from now on."

"What? Toshi, why would I do that? What's going on here?"

Toshi kept staring at her and without wavering said, "We're being sued by Li Corp."

"What? We're a news station. They can't sue us for doing our job."

Toshi walked towards her until he was in front of her and simply said, "Katherine, I do hope you have done your research completely like you are telling me. Li Xian's ruthless business demeanor is well known worldwide. He's not a man who would simply sue knowing he can't win a case."

Katherine scoffed and looked away. "I'm sure he's probably not the one that's suing. I bet you it's that woman. Now that she has temporary control of the company she's using it to destroy me for unmasking the truth behind her lies and facades."

"Whether it's her or not, we need everything you have on her so we can defend ours."

Katherine looked at him. "Ours?"

"If it's her, like you say, she's not suing only management she's suing the entire company as a whole."

She froze. Could she do that?

~ o ~

They had finished practice in the afternoon after going through all the new changes and strategies they planned after watching their rival's game. Although their coach gave them free time for a couple of hours they all had to eat dinner together in the hotel restaurant. So by unanimous decision they agreed on being at seven thirty in the lobby to eat dinner together. In a brave effort Eriol, who had always shared Sakura's opinion when it came to his other cousin Feimei, had invited Xiun to sit close to them. Gesture that didn't go unnoticed by Syaoran and he didn't approve of it either. Even though he had been able to treat Xiun with a little more friendliness it wasn't enough to share an entire meal with him.

Syaoran was done with his food in less than forty five minutes but stayed talking with his teammates while laughing at some jokes his other teammates made. He received a text and looked at the phone. A picture of a glass of wine along a pool adorned his screen with a message below,

*Care to join me?

He smiled, put away his phone and started to get up when he felt Eriol's hand stop him. He glanced back at his cousin.

Eriol shook his head. "Can you wait until everyone else is done eating?" He had seen the sender of the text and the message in it. Although he was happy for his cousin on getting back with Sakura, they were still in this tournament. The team needed to be united in all aspects if they wanted to finally win their first World Cup Tournament. For that they also needed all their players focused especially Syaoran.

He narrowed his eyes at his cousin but sat nonetheless and took out his phone to text back.

*Can the offer still stand for about an hour? I'm eating with the team.

He waited for her answer as he watched three dots in the screen meaning that she was replying back to him.

*The bottle still has three thirds of its drink in it. I guess you can call yourself lucky.

He smirked and put his phone away. "Don't tell me you're going to start nagging at me like a mother."

Eriol smirked and chuckled. In a low voice so that only Syaoran could hear he simply said, "I thought by now you had learned from your mistakes. She already made you lose a tournament I suggest you thread slowly this time before you end up screwing it again."

He rolled his eyes at Eriol's comment and took a deep breath.

~ o ~

Kyu walked through the hotel hallways in direction towards his room. Thinking about tomorrow, he stretch his neck and massaged his shoulder knowing once again they had the chance of touching that Cup with their hands. Four years ago the only one that had played the game had been Syaoran. This year they would all be defending their country's colors inside the field like they should've done four years ago.

He turned the last corner to see his girlfriend reclining against his room door. He smirked at the sight of her until he was right in front of her. "Couldn't sleep?"

She smiled. "How are you feeling?"

He took the key card out of his pocket and put it inside the slot to open his room. After letting Meiling get in he walked right after her and embraced her in a hug. "I'm ready. A lot better now that I'm seeing you here."

She chuckled. "I know I shouldn't be here but I couldn't resist."

"We still have forty five minutes till curfew. Besides, Xiun is downstairs meeting Feimei though don't tell Syaoran."

Meiling turned around to face her boyfriend and gave him a quick kiss. "It's not like he won't find out. Feimei will make sure he does just to state her point."

Kyu smirked. "Ah… Today at the dinner table it was awkward. Eriol tried to sit them down together. I think I haven't seeing Syaoran so quiet and menacing in a long time. Thank goodness the rest of the guys were able to lessen his mood."

Meiling frowned. "I thought they were getting better?"

Kyu shook his head and sighed. "They are… Apparently only inside the field though." He caressed her face before giving her another quick kiss. "So, to what do I owe the honor of this pleasant visit of yours the night before a game?"

Meiling smiled as she ran her fingers through his hair in the back of his neck. "I need to tell you something and at the same time ask."

Kyu smiling stared at her. He wasn't too sure this was a good thing or not. Years of knowing Meiling taught him that whenever she started dancing with a certain topic it was usually because he wouldn't like the outcome of this conversation.

"Okay, it so happens that I received a call today from my assistant."

"Carli… I thought you were off until the end of the tournament." Kyu said not liking at all to hear her assistant had contacted her on her supposedly vacation time.

"I am, but this was something that couldn't wait." Meiling quickly said trying to defend Carli out of her boyfriend's mind. She smiled at her boyfriend and at the same time trying to contain her excitement about this opportunity. "Apparently Taio Won is short one model for his upcoming runway. Beatrix from France was supposed to be in his fashion show but injured herself last week so he reached out to Carli to see if I could fill in her shoes instead. And so, Carli called me to let me know and check my availability."

Kyu stared at his girlfriend. No matter how much she tried to hide from him he still could see it in her face her eagerness to do this. "Taio Won? Didn't I buy you one of his lingerie's years ago?"

"You did." Meiling watched her boyfriend smile fading. She snaked her hands around his neck and touched her forehead against his shoulder trying to avoid his eyes. She knew he wouldn't like it but after what happened last time she figured out that perhaps if she let him know before time instead of letting him find out through other sources he would be more adamant to accept her work.

"Did you tell him you would do it?"

She shook her head. "I won't do it if you don't want me to." Sighing, she looked at him again and softly said, "But it's a great opportunity for me. It's a runway Kyu."

"Modeling lingerie?" he asked looking away to try to hide his dissatisfaction at the news.

"It's Taio Won and I still don't know what piece he wants me to model. I guess if Carli tells him I'm available he'll let me know about the piece but nothing is certain yet. He has other departments aside from his famous lingerie section."

Yeah… the guy had other departments but with Kyu's luck Meiling would probably end up modeling one of his lingerie's. Perhaps even the one with less cloth in it. Kyu looked back at Meiling. The last time they fought about her modeling career he had expressed to Meiling his distaste with the way she handled everything. For him being in a relationship with her hadn't been easy and part of the reason was because she made decisions and then hoped for the best with the repercussions. It had been a point he had made perfectly clear to her before their reconciliation but it still didn't make this any easier than before. He still hated whenever she wanted to make any of these pieces but at least she was trying to get his input before doing something. "And you want to be in that fashion show?"

"Yes." She quickly answered.

It took him a little while before finally giving in. "Fine. Then do it."

Surprised by his answered she asked him, "Really? It's okay with you?"

He touched his forehead against hers and nodded. "Don't ask me again though, I might change my mind."

She squealed excitedly before giving him a quick kiss once more. She couldn't believe he had said yes. She had feared his answer since she had come down from her high after receiving the news and realizing she had to tell Kyu before deciding. For the first time she had chosen on asking him before deciding and in reality it did made her feel better going towards her final decision.

~ o ~

When the doors opened, he saw her looking at the view with her glass in hand. She was wearing a black dress that wasn't too tight on her body but accentuated her figure. He smiled and put his hands in his pockets before approaching her. "What's the occasion?"

She turned to look at him walking towards her and smiled. "I wasn't aware an occasion was needed to drink wine."

He reached her and simply stood next to her reclining himself at the railings. "I can't drink wine with you while I'm in the tournament."

"Mmm… more for me then."

He chuckled. "The VIP pool room huh… kind of adventurous if you ask me. Are you inducing me into having a wild night with you?"

She raised her brow, "Don't dream of doing anything else in this place but relaxing and spending some time talking with me."

He frowned. "Talking?"

She conniving smiled at him. "You should know by now I am not as easy as any of those bimbos you've been with."

He chuckled. "Fair enough." He sighed before walking towards the pool. Sitting down on the edge, he put his sweats up a little and put his legs inside.

She watched him from behind and followed him before doing the same. She put her bottle on the side but kept her glass with her.

"While we're talking, like you want to, mind telling me who this Oliver I keep hearing about is?" he asked.

She turned her head to look at him and smirked. "Why? Do you feel threatened?"

He smirked as well before sarcastically answering, "Trembling with fear."

She chuckled. "He's one of the investors in charge of that project I told you on the phone yesterday."

He nodded. "How did it go? Did you get it?"

Sakura shook her head and sadly smiled. "Believe it or not he pulled a Makimasi on me."

He chuckled remembering that day. "Really? What is wrong with these people? Don't they respect you're working for someone already?"

"Apparently that's not good enough for them." she said while pouring a little bit more wine on her glass.

"Where was this one?" he asked.

Not looking at him she took a sip of her wine before answering, "England."

His heart stopped. He quickly looked at her and stared silently. He wasn't sure how to react after hearing her words. For the first time in his life he was completely speechless.

Sighing, she casually said to break the silence that had suddenly come between them, "Not that it matters much now. The deal fell off this morning when they signed another project manager to design and build their hotel."

After getting back from his shock he sighed. "It's their loss then."

She sadly smiled before taking another sip of her wine. "I guess it is."

He knew she wasn't over the whole incident at all. Since they first met each other he learned she liked to work hard for what she wanted and was usually used to getting it most of the time. He could see it in her eyes this project was something she had truly wanted and in the end hadn't gotten it. Perhaps because of him or perhaps because of the investors… it didn't matter. What mattered to him was that she was sad about this and he hated that. Trying to change the subject he insightfully said, "This pool brings back memories."

She smiled as she took his hand and entwined their fingers together. It had been a while since she had been this closed to him without a care to fill her mind. "I've never seen you as mad as I saw you that day at the pool."

He smirked. "You were lucky I was injured and couldn't walk quickly all the way to you."

She chuckled.

"Those idiots never stopped talking about you either come to think about it." He murmured but she caught his words without a problem.

"Hey! You were able to finish your training in less than the estimated time of recuperation. Don't complain about it."

He smirked. "If I remember correctly, I thought I told you I would make you pay for that one…"

She quickly looked at him but didn't have time to react as he pushed her into the water. She came up getting her now wet hair out of her face and angrily looking at him. "Syaoran!" She was completely soaked. Her black dress was drenched and to make it worst her glass of wine had been lost inside the water.

He laughed at her. "That's what you get for making my ankle hurt more than it used to at that time."

The way she remembered, she wasn't sorry at all for that time. The objective had been achieved which left nothing to apologized for. She smirked before chuckling and planning her revenge already. Swimming softly towards the other side of the pool to put some distance between them she started to unzip her dress. Slowly, she dragged it all the way under and took it off of her before throwing it outside leaving her in her completely sexy black underwear.

Syaoran laugh slowly started to fade away as he watched the whole scene scrutinizing all of her movements. He hadn't been with a woman from the moment he had arrived in China which made her little spectacle a little harder to bear. His famous smirk reached his face at the thought of his little vixen's tactics. Sakura had always known how to get him back good.

"I think this is more accurate to your memory of that day, isn't it?" she cunningly said loudly enough for him to hear her from the pool. The ferocity of his stare made her tremble with excitement.

Not thinking it twice, he got himself into the water and walked towards the middle of the pool where she was at. His stare never leaving her eyes as he reached her. No words were needed between them as he simply caressed her cheek before kissing her. He deepened the kiss tasting the remnants of alcohol in her lips while putting his hands around her waist and pulling her closer. He felt her arms around his neck and tightened his embrace. His lips found their way to her neck noticing how her breathing altered with each kiss he left on his way and hearing her small moan before finding her lips again. She made him feel so many things at the same time it was almost impossible for him to control his emotions but knowing it was her was enough for him to know when to stop.

He finished kissing her and kept his forehead against hers trying to catch his breath. He ran his fingers through her lips and softly smiled. "You do test my limits Sak."

She smirked while enjoying his touch. "Mmm… if you take your shirt off it would make us even."

He chuckled and shook his head. It took him many months to adapt to her cunning ways years ago. Learning the meaning behind her words had taken time but it had been necessary. Sakura had always been conniving. It wasn't her first time playing with fire and he knew it wouldn't be the last either. It was her way of testing the waters. "If I take my shirt off, I will definitely lose it. I'm not making the same mistake twice."

She kissed him softly before saying, "I never saw the mistake in it."

He smiled again as his hands made it back to her face. Slowly, he traced her cheek before tracing her lips once more with his fingers. He was happy. He closed his eyes before softly saying, "Thank you for coming back to me that day. I had truly given up till I saw you walk through that door."

Given up… she wasn't entirely sure if he was talking about the tournament or his career as an athlete but hearing his words made her smile. And yet the honesty behind them almost made her cry as she remembered the pain she saw through his eyes that day. She looked at him and kissed him again.

He smirked between kisses and asked, "Are you sure you're not looking to have a wild night with me?"

She laughed at his question but didn't let go. She stayed in his embrace enjoying the moment. They only had a couple of minutes before he would have to get back to his room because of his curfew and she intended to spend every second of them with him before he had to leave.

"You even made me drink alcohol after all… Not a good influence on me, love." He jokingly said.

She chuckled as she softly rubbed her cheek against his and whispered on his ear, "Are you complaining?"

His lips found their way into her neck as he kissed her neck softly to show his answer until he found her lips once more and answered, "Not at all." Before kissing her once more.

~ o ~

Her time visiting her boyfriend had been just what she needed. Being on Syaoran's company always soothed her inside and yet when the clock had reached ten they both had to part from each other. He went back to his room because of his curfew and she had decided to take what little time she had left of the day to take care of unfinished business.

She had asked Suri to send some clothing to the hotel since Syaoran had decided to ruin her dress by pushing her into the water. Not that she was complaining. Thinking about it made her smile. Syaoran had always known how to uplift her mood. He was a little irritating at times but sweet and caring at the same time. It was the reason she knew he must've felt awful last night. She had heard from Tomoyo, who in turn had heard from her fiancé, that he hadn't been able to sleep at all.

But it was because he was so caring that she needed to take care of herself first. She wasn't trying to be selfish at all, but it was something that she needed to do. When she had been with Jun, she would simply take a few days off or take advantage of whenever he was gone to reflect on her life. He simply took it no questions asked. He never minded at all as long as she stayed by his side.

Syaoran was different. Unlike Jun's lack of attention, Syaoran always took notice. He dared to demand more of her towards their relationship. She scoffed thinking about it. One would think he was the one that had been in a long relationship instead of her. She stopped her car in front of the hotel Suri had given her. Taking a deep breath she got out of her car and walked towards the front doors. There were still pages that needed to be turned and books that should've been closed years ago. She walked inside the hotel and looked around before walking towards the front desk. "I need to know if you have Sayuri Kinomoto staying at this hotel." She said to the front clerk.

"I'm sorry Miss but we're not allowed to give that sort of information out." The girl said.

"What are you doing here?"

She heard the question come from behind and turn around to find her cousin not too happily looking at her. "We need to talk."

She scoffed. "What makes you think I want to talk to you after the way you embarrassed me last time when you threw me out of the hotel?"

Sakura sternly looked at her. "We can talk here now or we can grab a secluded table at the restaurant. It's your choice but I warn you… you will not like what I have to say almost as much as others hearing it as well."

Sayuri scoffed and started walking away. The nerve of her cousin to even search for her in another hotel after everything what had happened last time between them.

"I know about the picture." Sakura loudly said so she could hear.

Sayuri stopped and grimaced. How the heck did she find out about that? Taking a deep breath, she turned once more towards her cousin. "There's too many people at the restaurant right now. The bar will have to do. I'm sure I'll need a drink anyways."

Sakura simply motioned for her to lead the way. After sitting down, they ordered their drinks and waited for them to arrive before Sakura broke the silence. "Why did you do it?"

Sayuri scoffed. "Do I not have enough reasons to do it?" She looked away before saying, "I was pissed."

Sakura kept looking at her and simply said, "We're not in high school anymore Sayuri. And I'm not the same person I was seven years ago."

Sayuri sarcastically smiled. "I think I was able to figure that out on my own when I went to visit you at your office. If uncle saw you now I don't think he would be able to contain his tears after watching all those years of sacrifices to give you a good education gone to waste."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Sayuri-"

"Why are you here Sakura? What do you want? An apology?" Sayuri shrugged. "I'm not sorry. At all. Do you plan on throwing me out of this hotel as well because of that?"

Taking a deep breath to keep her cool, Sakura decided to ignore her words and said, "Perhaps you thought I would never be able to figure out that you were one of the people behind that picture." She shook her head. "Even though I knew it was probably you, I gave you the benefit of the doubt. But now that I am certain you were part of this scheme I'll entertain you a little further. Right now Channel 2 is being sued by Li Corp."

"What?" Sayuri widened her eyes. Was that even possible? To be able to sue an entire news company just because of breaking a story? She scoffed dismissing the possibility. There was no way to win that kind of lawsuit. I mean, reporters were entitled to give out news, right…? Then suddenly something didn't feel right. "How did you find out I had anything to do with this?"

"There's evidence of the payment you received from Katherine."

Sayuri stared at her cousin. She was certain she covered all her bases before making the deal. The check was not under her name, she still hadn't cashed it, Katherine had promised to make sure her name would never be involved in any of this. If there was evidence found, it meant her career could be over in mere seconds.

Sakura watched her cousin's face going through different emotions before saying, "You are right. I have changed during these years. So I will say what I came to say and then I'll give you a choice. As you are well aware I'm giving Syaoran a second chance. Knowing that he slept with you is something I had to accept with time but is not something I wish to be reminded off every single day. At the same time we have both grown up. I think it's time that we stop having resentful feelings towards each other and at least try to be amiable instead."

Sayuri softly shook her head and narrowed her eyes at her. "You never deserved him. What you put him through…"

Sakura started at her cousin after hearing her words. There was something nagging at the back of her mind after hearing her cousin speak. Her words were not ill spoken like they usually were. In fact, they sounded as if they were coming out of a wounded person. "Do you have feelings for Syaoran?"

Sayuri scoffed. "So my only two options are to leave him alone or you're involving my name on the lawsuit. Is there truly a choice that needs to be made?"

Sakura didn't miss the lack of answer on her question but let it go for this time. One more thing to think about before the end of this tournament. "There is. You haven't deposited the check yet. Get rid of it if you decide not to be involved in any of this."

"What good will that do? If you were this confident in coming in here to talk to me about this then it's because you probably have it already in your hands."

"You're right. I do. But I'll leave it up to you. Destroy it if you decide to stop looking for Syaoran. I won't use my copy unless you give me reason to." This been said, Sakura stood up and paid for both of their drinks before turning towards her cousin one last time. "One last thing… my father's sacrifices ended the moment I decided to leave. Circumstances have brought me where I am today. Still to this day, I don't regret my decision. This is my last warning Sayuri."

Sayuri stared at the retreating figure of her cousin walking out of the hotel. There truly was nothing she could do. Her cousin's question came to mind. She still had feelings for Syaoran. Even though after that night she had been hurt, she still felt something towards him. He had been her first love even if it had always been one sided. It was near impossible not to feel anything even when she was dating someone else.

~ o ~

"Syaoran…"

He turned on his bed.

"Syaoran!"

He must've been having a livid dream as he heard his name being called clearly. Still, he just turned around once more on his bed and adjusted his sheets to cover himself a little bit more. It wasn't until he felt a pillow hit his back that he realized the one calling him was Eriol. In a soggy voice he finally answered. "What?"

"Your phone!" Eriol loudly and clearly said.

He reached his night table for his phone. At two am in the morning he didn't even bother looking at the caller ID. He simply wanted the stupid thing to stop making a sound so he could go back to sleep. "Hello?"

"Syaoran?" a soft voice answered through his cell phone speaker.

"Katherine?" he looked at his watch which read two am in the morning and carefully sighed trying not to make Eriol be more irritated than what he already was. In a low voice he said, "You shouldn't be calling me at this hour."

"I had no choice. I wasn't even sure if you would answer."

He took a deep breath before running one hand through his face. "Not sure I should've answered either. What is it?"

"It's about your girlfriend."

**Author's Note: **Ahhh! I was hoping I could put this chapter before or on Thanksgiving weekend but with my family staying over it was impossible! So… sorry for the long wait! Well, here's chapter 19th. Hope you guys enjoyed it. Thank you once again for reviewing my last chapter. I know it took a while but I was finally able to put it up. Hopefully you guys didn't have to wait a lot for this one. Honestly I saw that some of you told me the chapter was too short so made this one a little longer than usual for all of you. Let me know what you think!


	20. Chapter 20 - Love Is More Than Words

"_**Love is more black and white than we like to tell ourselves. Don't allow anyone to keep you trapped in the "promise" of the gray area. The bottom line is: If they love you, truly love you, they'll do whatever it takes to be with you. There won't be excuses or doubts or fears or hesitation. Love is action. Everything else is just words." – Mandy Hale**_

**Chapter 20**

"**Love is More than Words"**

His dribbling skills were like no other. No one could go head to head with Syaoran. His speed and ability to dribble the ball between his feet confused the opponent players to the point they couldn't quite keep up with him. It was truly a spectacle to watch him play with such ferocity as he left behind one guy while passing the ball quickly between his left and right foot. He then kicked the ball forward leaving behind a second guy by increasing his speed to reach it before anyone else could touch it. Two defenders ran in front of him trying to prevent him from advancing anymore than what he had already achieved. He looked towards the side to watch his teammates had finally caught up with him as well. Immediately he kicked the ball to the right corner to open up the play.

Eriol caught the ball and ran inside to bring the ball closer to the net. He evaded one of the defenders but saw two more waiting for him and turned around to get the ball outside once more. First half of the game had been pretty intense. They were ahead two goals to one but it had been harder than usual to score against Japan. Being inspired by playing the semi-finals of the Cup against China, Japan had come fierier than ever. Eriol passed the ball back to one of the midfielders before looking at the clock once more. Right on time, the referee blew his whistle to signal the end of the first half. He started walking back to the locker room when he felt Syaoran pat his back.

"One more half." Syaoran said.

"At this pace, we'll need a lot more to hold them off." Eriol said.

"We just have to make sure to keep going. Stay focused." Syaoran said.

Xiun joined them trying to catch his breath as they walked together. "Well, they obviously did a good job scouting us. I can't seem to get inside at all."

"We'll talk about this inside." Syaoran said. "But we'll definitely have to change our game play for the second half. We're too close for comfort."

~ o ~

Sakura took a deep breath before getting up from her seat. This game had her nerves on overdrive leaving no doubt to anyone that the fact that these two teams had faced each other countless of times was not an obstacle to bring the audience a great intensive game. Being halftime, she walked towards the bar and poured herself a glass of water. It was early in the afternoon still and she needed something to refresh and calm her nerves before the second half of the game would start.

"This game has been very tight from both side, don't you think?"

She turned around to find Oliver smiling at her.

Following her gesture, he poured himself a glass of water as well and drank from it before refilling it. He looked at her once more and said, "I do hope there are no hard feelings between us. I've enjoyed our talks during these short periods I've known you."

She took a sip of her water before replying, "I can assure you there aren't any."

"Good." He smiled satisfied with her answer. "It'd be a shame to cut communications just because of one incident."

She stared at him. In all her career as Xian's assistant she had master the art of hiding her emotions but that didn't mean she couldn't voice her thoughts on the matter. One incident…? Denying her the development of a project she wanted so badly to do didn't count as just one incident for her. Then again, she had yet to see the day an owner didn't regret his decision of not working with her. "Forgive me for saying this but I'm not quite sure there's anything else we need to discuss. You picked another person for the job and as far as I'm aware of our talks consisted of only that."

He smiled at her. "By all means you're right. They only consisted on the project but we could still meet outside of the job and talk about other interests. That's, off course, if you allow me the pleasure of your company."

She drank from her glass. "Allow me to ask you a question."

"Go ahead." He smugly said before drinking once more from his cup.

"Is this the real reason why you didn't give me the project?"

He smiled at her once more. "It truly has been a great thing what you've done here."

Sakura raised a brow at his comment and said, "You've been praising my work since you got here and yet you decided to contract someone else for your project."

"Am I not allowed to do that?"

Sakura sternly stared at him and smiled to herself. When she first started working with Xian she had been known to be Xian's assistant, but to hide behind someone had never been her nature. With time she proved to everyone that in this business she was her own person. Things were done how she liked them to be. It was one of the reasons why her name grew pretty quickly in their line of work among business tycoons and what Oliver had just confessed to do was simply unacceptable to her. "Let me be perfectly clear with you Oliver. The answer I gave you on our last meeting was not a choice for you to decide. You've made a mistake choosing someone else to oversee your project. Unfortunately for you I've always been very decisive and your project is something I've already passed the page to. Therefore there's nothing else to discuss beyond the end of this tournament."

His smile slowly started to disappear after hearing her words. He cleared his throat before saying, "You shouldn't close new connections when you're able to make them. It's always good to leave the doors open."

"I merely passed the page. An open door depends on you though I do must warn you… I don't need to read a book twice. Enjoy the rest of the tournament." She said before turning around and walking away. She could still feel his piercing eyes looking at her back as she walked back towards her seat. The nerve of the man! To think he would decline her proposition after everything she had worked on it just for having a chance to date her. She tried to calm herself when she felt Feimei sit right next to her.

"Is that man bothering you?" she asked.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Nothing I haven't handled before."

Feimei chuckled. "Mother should be here any minute. She said father wanted to come watch the game from here."

Sakura looked at her. "Did the doctor release him already?"

Feimei nodded. "He can finally leave home though I'm not too sure mother likes it too much. Between us, I think she rather enjoyed a little too much having father at her mercy."

Sakura chuckled. "I think he hated it, if you ask me."

"Oh yeah… without a doubt!" Feimei agreed while joking a little about it. "I wanted to ask you for some pointers on Syaoran's little project, if you don't mind. I'm having a little difficulty with choosing the architecture for it."

Sakura looked at her. "Mmm… Syaoran has always liked the Brazilian soccer stadium. When we had coffee to discuss this he said it was one of the grandest stadiums he had ever played at. He described playing in there as an unforgettable experience and one he would definitely enjoy doing more than once in his soccer career."

Feimei nodded. "Then I will research this Brazilian stadium you speak off. Thanks!"

~ o ~

"Ahh!" he screamed as he fell in agony grabbing his ankle while going round and round through the ground till finally stopping. He heard a whistle being blown in the distance which signaled the referee calling the foul. Massaging his ankle he tried to put it on the ground once. Pain shot through his leg as he quickly leveled it up and tried massaging it a little again.

"Are you okay?" Eriol quickly came over and asked. Since he was the closest to him, he was the first one to reach him after watching him roll through the ground.

Syaoran grimaced as he slowly tried to put his foot down one more time. "Yeah." He was able to set his foot on the ground but he could still feel the pain.

Eriol watched his cousin's face with much concern on his eyes. Being the top scorer in most tournaments, Syaoran had been heavily guarded by three defenders every time he touched the ball. His ability to create plays also made him more prone to receive fouls by other teams. They were still winning two to one with only fifteen minutes left on the clock plus whatever the referee decided to add extra and both goals where orchestrated by Syaoran. In today's game he hadn't been able to score but assisted in one of them and started the play which led to their second goal.

Mark came running as well. "You okay?"

Syaoran heavily breathing said, "Give me a minute."

Instead of listening to Syaoran, Mark decided to call the medical team over. Eriol helped his cousin off the ground but the moment Syaoran tried to put weight on his leg he grimaced once more. He tried to walk a bit hoping the pain would go away only to find it still there pulsing through his ankle bandages with each step he gave. He limped a little but stopped after a few steps.

Kyu came walking along side the referee agitatedly protesting the call. "He won't get carded because of this ref? I mean it's a miracle we've all lasted so long with them fouling us this way, don't you think?" he sarcastically said.

"The referee of this game is me and I decide who gets carded Kyu." The referee answered as he walked towards Syaoran.

"Oh please ref! He's stalling the game. That's all he's doing! We both know this!" a player from Japan said walking at the other side of the ref.

"Mr. Liu, the same goes for you." The referee said ignoring the protest of both players before finally reaching Syaoran. He watched him limp his steps before asking, "Are you okay Mr. Li?"

"Do I look okay?" he asked narrowing his eyes.

"Syaoran!" Mark warned him. Having the referee against them was not something wise for them. So far the referee had allowed some calls to go by but he had done so for both teams. Knowing this game was an intensive one the referee let them play it out to avoid breaking the flow of the game.

"Oh please! What you're doing is stalling! We all know that!" the Japanese player kept protesting.

Pissed off by what the guy was saying, Syaoran quickly reacted to his complaint. "Screw you! The only thing you've done the entire game is play dirty!"

The Japanese player put his hand up in protest once more. "Oh! Stop whining already!"

"You should've been carded a long time ago! Why don't you start playing instead of hiding your bad game behind cheap shots…?" Syaoran replied.

"What did you say?" the player asked.

The moment the referee started to feel things going a little overboard he intervened. "Both of you calm down this instant if you don't want to get carded in this game."

Immediately after, a Japanese player grabbed his teammate to pull him out of the encounter. Eriol quickly stood in front of his cousin and tried to calm his mood. "Stop this man."

Syaoran looked at his cousin. "He started it!"

"Not now Syaoran!" Eriol said in a demanding tone. He watched as his cousin tried to walk again and limped a little before stopping.

The medical team reached them and started looking over ankle while Mark kept talking to the referee in regards to the Japanese player's attitude.

"We need you for the next game man. This is not time to lose your mind over some words." Eriol tried to make him see reason as calmly as possible. It wasn't an easy task but it was something he had been able to achieve before.

Syaoran looked at the medical staff as they sprayed his ankle with the "magic spray" to help numb the affected area so he could walk. Thankfully the pain started to subside in a couple of seconds after feeling the spray touching the affected area but as soon as he tried to walk once again he felt a little discomfort.

Kyu reached his friends and noticed the difficulty Syaoran was having trying to walk normal again. "Look man, you may not like what I'm about to say but perhaps it's better to ask coach for a substitution."

Syaoran quickly looked at Kyu. "You're kidding… right?"

Kyu defensively put his hands up and tried to explain. "Syaoran, we're up two to one. There's only a few minutes left on this game. We can fortify the defense instead."

"I agree with Kyu." Eriol added.

"You're both delusional. There's no way I'm agreeing to this. I just need a few minutes." Syaoran said.

The referee walked all the way towards them and said, "I'm afraid you must step out to the sidelines Mr. Li while the medical team helps you."

Not too pleased with what was happening, he nodded and limped his way to the sidelines. Eriol and Kyu walked at his side accompanying him to the sidelines. Since Mark started talking to the referee once again they still had a couple of seconds before the game would restart again.

"Kyu's idea is not a bad one Syaoran. We need you for the next game." Eriol said.

"A difference of one goal is not enough to secure a win Eriol. In fifteen minutes anything can happen especially with the way their playing." Syaoran said.

"Then I'm asking you to trust us. We practiced without you when you got hurt and played almost the entire first game without you."

"Don't remind me. If I remember correctly we almost lose that first game." Syaoran said.

"We just need to survive for fifteen minutes." Kyu insisted.

"Both of you…"

"I know what you're thinking Syaoran but we truly need you for the next game. There's only fifteen minutes left of this one and we both know they'll be gunning you for the rest of whatever's left of this game." Eriol watched as his cousin gave him a hard look before continuing. "Just for once listen… you're not worth much to us if you're playing hurt. We need you in the final."

"We're not in the final yet. Anything can happen in fifteen minutes." He tried to argue his way around it.

"Leave it to us." Kyu added. "We'll hold the marker."

Syaoran grunted. "If they tie the game I won't be able to participate in the penalty round. I didn't work this hard to stop here. I'll hold for the rest of the game."

"They won't tie the game. We'll make sure of it." Kyu confidently said. "Think of what's best for the team right now. We're winning. We don't need one more goal and less if it costs us having to play without you on the next game. Ask for a sub. We'll take care of the rest."

At the sound of the whistle, both Kyu and Eriol jogged back to their places. Currently they were playing with ten guys inside the field until Syaoran either recuperated or, as they had said, asked for a sub. He had reached the sidelines and sat on the ground while the medical team started undoing his laces. After taking his shoe off the physical therapist started touching his ankle. He moved it from side to side and luckily for him it didn't hurt. The therapist put some pressure on it and asked him if it hurt to which he gave his answer by shaking his head and saying no. He could see part of his ankle had swollen exactly where the Japanese guy had stepped on it with his spikes. The moment the therapist pushed a little on it he grimaced.

"It looks like just a wound, nothing serious but I'd suggest you ice it." The therapist said.

"Can I play with it?" Syaoran asked.

The therapist moved his gaze from his ankle to his face and sighed. Having witnessed the words his friends had given him before reaching the sidelines he wanted to tell him he agreed with them. Then again, giving Syaoran an answer that didn't exactly respond his question would probably anger him. "You can but you'll risk it. Like every wound it won't get better until you rest it and it can get worst if you don't take care of it."

Syaoran nodded before looking at the stadium clock. Only ten minutes left. Ten minutes that if he decided to play them would probably aggravate the situation. If he decided not to play them his team had to run with the risk of getting a tie and not have him for the penalty kicks.

"It's your call Syaoran." The therapist said.

Each passing second only put more pressure on his teammates since they were only playing with ten players inside the field till he decided what to do. He watched as Xiun ran towards the middle taking some defenders with him before he passed the ball to Kyu just like they had practiced before. The defenders on the other team read Kyu's play with ease and took the ball from him before he could reach the penalty box. He saw Eriol turning from the side and quickly running towards one of the players in a defensive stance. '_Then I'm asking you to trust us.' _With his cousin's words in mind he looked at the therapist and made his call. "Ask coach for the sub."

Surprised by Syaoran's words, the therapist asked, "Are you sure?"

There was one thing that was for certain and it was that with ten players it would make it difficult for his teammates to keep the lead no matter if he went back into the game or not. With this in mind he quickly made his decision and decided to take heed to his cousin's words. He had to trust them. "Yes." Syaoran said without taking his eyes off the game.

The therapist nodded before making the signal.

~ o ~

As soon as the game was over, Sakura took care of the investors quickly and headed towards the hotel. Seeing Syaoran walking out of the game had worried her especially knowing how adamant he was about playing. His stubbornness usually convinced him to stay playing even if it meant playing injured. For him to had made the call must've meant it was something serious. She used the stairs to go up towards his room knowing the elevator doors were probably being watched by many reporters eagerly waiting for her arrival to start gossiping once more about their relationship. She knocked on his door and waited for him to open the door.

"Sakura!" it wasn't Syaoran the one that greeted her but Eriol. "Hey, what's up?"

"Hey! Not much. Is Syaoran on the room?"

He nodded as he stepped back a little to let her inside.

She walked inside and quickly looked for him but at the same time tried to hide her worried face when facing him. She didn't want to increase his already inflated ego by letting him know she had been dead worried for him after seeing him fall on the field. Then again, the moment she looked at his smirking face right next to his bed she knew she had miserably failed in her attempt.

"You know… I'm beginning to think that perhaps I should get injured more often."

She smiled a little. She could've mastered the art of hiding her emotions yet there was no man that could read her better than Syaoran. Looking away and rolling her eyes she admitted her defeat. "You're right… perhaps next time you can fall and hit your head on the way down."

He chuckled and walked towards her. "Well it all depends. Will you stay by me again and help me recuperate when it happens?"

She narrowed her eyes at him and flirtingly asked, "Aren't you an opportunist?"

He engulfed her in a deep embrace not minding his cousin at all. Her presence was all he needed to feel calmed again. "I'm fine. I just stayed out as a precaution. How was your day?"

A sound of a clearing throat was heard as she looked at Eriol looking at them with a raised brow. "Did you both forget I am standing here?"

Syaoran chuckled and let go of her. Instead, he walked towards their small fridge and took a bottle of water out.

"Interesting." She watched as he turned the cap around, opened the bottle and drank. "I visited my cousin last night." She casually commented.

Eriol opened his eyes widely. "And, well Sakura I'll be seeing you later." Immediately and without waiting for her answer he walked out of the room. Conversations involving Sayuri meant an imminent war zone.

Cautiously looking at her after hearing her words, he stopped drinking his water and swallowed. He put the water bottle down. "I saw her some weeks ago before you decided to kick her out of the hotel."

"You're well informed."

"It's hard not to be when you decide to make a public spectacle of it."

"You don't like my way of handling things?"

"Is it that obvious?"

She stared at him and smiled a little. Sayuri wasn't a topic to be discussed yet between the two of them. And yet, she wanted to know where he stood with this. He still didn't know she knew about his past with her cousin. It was an advantage she wanted to keep while she had it for now. It hadn't been the first time he hadn't agreed on the way she liked to handle things. In fact, he had already expressed his distaste for it a couple of days ago. She walked towards him and put her arms around his waist. "I've thought of where to go once your tournament is over."

He looked down and caressed her face. "Where?"

She smiled. "Spain."

"Spain?" He asked. "Spain is not either a romantic or a calm place to rest."

She smirked. "Were you honestly expecting me to spend vacations sleeping around a hotel? No… I think an adventurous vacation will better suit me though we could include one of the small islands just to rest for a day or two… There's nothing better than some wine and tapas to enjoy my vacation days. Besides… I've been craving them for a while now."

"You've been to Spain before?" he asked.

She nodded. "A couple of times actually."

"Better then… less places to visit and more time for me." He softly gave her a small kiss. "I'll get the tickets."

She sarcastically laughed at his suggestion. "You're getting the tickets? Don't you mean Choi?"

He smirked. "Actually, either I'm getting the tickets or you are." He untangled himself from her arms and walked towards his bag. He took out a small leather pocket book. "This is my passport. The less he knows the better."

She curiously looked at him. "Why? Isn't he you're manager?"

He sighed but nodded nonetheless rubbing the back of his head with his free hand. "Yeah… but if he knows he'll probably want to stop me or make me wait. And I'm not doing either of those." He walked back towards her and gave her his documents. "I'd like to think this is only us."

She wasn't too sure what he meant by that. As far as she could tell it was only them but nonetheless she took his papers as she felt his hands surrounding her lower back and moving her to be in his embrace once again. "Will this not get you into trouble?"

He chuckled. "Maybe in the past it would."

"What's different now? You're still playing. Choi is still your manager unless you decide otherwise." she asked not fully understanding why Syaoran wanted to change everything now.

He looked at her and caressed her face once more. Truly he was lucky to have found her again. People who usually made the kind of mistake he did didn't get the second chance he had been given. After finding her again he had felt confused but there was no mistake in anything. He still loved her perhaps even more now than he did before. "I did."

Something in his stare made her look away. The intensity behind his glare was so alluring yet it brought sentiments she had held at bay for years now. There was still so much they had to work on to make this relationship work. Things this tournament had made them put on hold considering they started dating or supposedly dating the same night this tournament was commencing. Things like his many women, or more precisely one in particular, held her back from letting go entirely when she was with him. "I have to go." She said untangling herself from his embrace. "The girls are probably waiting for me at the beauty parlor already."

He pouted as he curiously stared at her crossing his arms on his chest. "The girls?"

"Yes. We decided to have a girl's night out tonight." She casually said as she put his passport inside her purse. "I need to go to the bathroom to check up on my makeup."

He watched her go inside the bathroom. She searched around her purse till she finally found what she was looking for. Taking the lid out of her favorite light pink lipstick, she started applying it carefully. He had to admit her little plan had him dumbfounded. Since when did going out with the girls came before him? He walked inside the room and hugged her from behind. "Are you coming back tonight?"

She looked at him from the mirror and asked, "Tonight? What for?"

He let go of her and reclined himself in the wall behind him crossing his arms once more across his chest. There was obviously a misunderstanding of where her priorities should lie if you asked him. "Well, I thought that perhaps you could help massage my ankle again like you did before after all… the trainer did say the more I rest it the better."

That had to be one of the lamest excuses Sakura had ever heard. She knew her indifference would probably piss him off. She was actually counting on that since the moment his arrogant smirk met her when she walked inside his room minutes ago. She turned around and reclined herself from the bathroom counter so she could face him. "Isn't that what your trainer is for?"

"I can assure you I'd love your soft hands massaging my ankle any day better than his."

She smiled a little once more before looking away. His piercing amber eyes were definitely one of her weakness. She could try a thousand times to get him back for his arrogance and yet the hungriness behind his stare was enough to make her lose the game. "I wouldn't want to be a distraction either."

He smirked and closed the space between them. "Who says you're not one already."

Those were the only words she heard before feeling his lips against hers. His hands rested on her chin as he savored each second of the kiss. She was ninety nine point nine percent sure he knew his kisses were her downfall and one hundred percent sure she didn't care losing this game against him anytime they decided to play.

"Oh! You're still here Sakura. Sorry… I didn't know."

At the sound of Eriol's voice Sakura quickly ended the kiss as she looked away trying to hide her flushed face from him. Syaoran on the other hand decided to narrow his eyes at his cousin. This wasn't the first time Eriol had stopped him from enjoying a moment with Sakura. Though perhaps with a more menacing look he could ensure this would be the last.

Eriol sheepishly signaled to the side. "I'll… be in the… living room." He excused himself after seeing Syaoran's murderous gaze looking towards him.

Sakura took the chance to turn around once more to look at herself in the mirror. Once again she started to fix herself after Syaoran ministrations. "You ruined my lipstick."

He smirked and he hugged her once more from behind. "Enjoyed doing it too."

She chuckled and untangled his hands from her waist. "Well, don't want to be late." She turned around and gave him a short kiss before making a quick exit out of the bathroom knowing perfectly well what mere seconds inside his embrace could do to her.

He scoffed but didn't hold her back any longer. Following her footsteps, he watched a she said goodbye to his cousin and exited through the door. He put his hands in his pockets before turning towards his cousin. "Did you know they are having a girl's night out?"

Eriol looked at his cousin and chuckled. Shaking his head he went back to changing the channels on the TV. "Syaoran… just tell me what you want to watch."

"You know, we could…"

"Out of the question." Was Eriol's quick reply. "Not before the final game. I'm sure one night out is not worth the trouble."

"Oh come on… you can't tell me you're not a tad bit curious about what they do in a girl's night out."

Eriol sighed. His stubbornness was definitely not a good sign. "I'll ask Tomoyo tomorrow if you're so curious about it."

Syaoran shrugged. "Even if you ask Tomoyo I'm pretty sure she won't tell you everything."

"You know… there are various reasons why I asked Tomoyo to marry me and I'm pretty certain one of them was because I trust her." Eriol simply said trying to ignore Syaoran's plea to what he already knew was a very bad plan.

"Who says this is about trust? I'm just curious. They won't even have to know."

Eriol stopped changing the channels and looked up towards his cousin. "Syaoran, we are in finals. We have worked too hard to screw it up in the end. Can you please comeback and focus on resting instead of getting both of us in trouble like you're used to do?"

Syaoran scoffed. "We could go a couple of minutes before curfew if you're so worried about getting in trouble."

Eriol rolled his eyes, shook his head and looked at the TV once more. "Need I remind you curfew also means not getting out of this hotel even if you never acknowledged that was part of its meaning…?"

A knock was heard from the door. Syaoran, who was already standing up, opened the door.

"Hey guys! What's up?" came the greeting from Kyu.

"Not much. Searching for something to watch on TV," came the response from Eriol sitting on the couch.

"Did you know the girls are having a girl's night out?" Kyu asked casually as he entered their room.

Syaoran smirked.

~ o ~

It was quite refreshing to meet with old friends and talk the night out like they used to do in the past. It had been years since they had planned to have one night to themselves. Usually they all went out in pairs with their boyfriends but tonight was different. Sakura had talked to the rest of the girls and decided that after going to the beauty parlor to fix their hair and nails they would end the night having dinner in one of the best restaurants in China.

"The food was delicious. Now I know why you love coming here from time to time." Meiling said.

Sakura cleaned the sides of her lips with a napkin. "Isn't it? I told you this was the best restaurant there is here in China."

"It's such a shame when I lived here this restaurant wasn't opened yet. I'm sure auntie would've taken us almost every month if she knew."

Sakura smirked. "Actually, she was the one that found it. She suggested one of our many office meetings to be held here. Afterwards, I can without a doubt say it has become one of my favorites."

The waitress came to take their plates away and Sakura took the chance to order some of their house hot tea. After all, a meal without a hot tea afterwards, especially their house tea, wouldn't be complete without it. A couple of minutes later the waitress came back with three tea cups and set them in front of them before leaving them to enjoy it.

"Well, changing the subject a bit… I heard from Xiefa that Xian is suing the channel for defamation of your name." Tomoyo asked while putting two small cubes of sugar into her coffee. She took the small spoon at the side of the tea cup plate and carefully mixed in the contents of her cup before trying it. Ah… just a perfect fit.

Sakura took a sip of hers before answering her. "He is. My name is linked to the company therefore he wants to clean it all from any misleading news that can hurt the company any further."

They both nodded after hearing her. After all it made perfect sense that even on a bed recuperating Xian would make sure his company was well taken care off. "Well, I guess that Katherine met her match."

Tomoyo's comment caught Sakura's attention. She curiously looked at Tomoyo and asked, "What do you mean?"

Meiling put her spoon down as well after mixing her tea cup. "Exactly what she's saying. That woman has been following Syaoran since the moment he made the mistake of sleeping with her."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. "I thought he didn't repeat women…"

"Can I ask you something Sakura?" Tomoyo asked not minding to interrupt her train of thoughts. "How come you know so much about Syaoran? In these past seven years you weren't in touch with any of us and yet you know he slept with Sayuri. Katherine is no different either. How come you know all this stuff?"

Sakura stared at Tomoyo surprised by her questions. She would've expected them to come from Meiling but never had she thought that Tomoyo would ask her something like this. She was usually very reserved when it came to prying on other people's lives. Taking her cup in her fingers she allowed herself to swallow a small sip of her tea before putting her cup back down. "Xiefa would make sure I knew whether I wanted to or not."

This time Meiling was the one who spoke. "So that day in your office, what Feimei said, it was true?"

Sakura sighed. She had known from the very beginning it was wrong but nonetheless she couldn't stop Xiefa from doing it. Back then, she had been weak. To her, it hadn't mattered if it was right or not, her mind wanted to know. Her mind begged her to keep hearing from him even if it was wrong. It took her many months to realize that what she was doing was not healthy. It wasn't correct either. Allowing Xiefa to continue spying on her brother just so that she could hear about him hadn't been right from the very beginning. Still, it took her months until she was finally able to put a stop on her but she didn't come unscarred. "I'm not going to talk about this any further of what I'm about to say. Xiefa did send a spy to keep her informed about Syaoran. It wasn't wrong intended, she was truly concerned for her brother's wellbeing. Unfortunately her concern made her make some decisions that weren't correct. They didn't last long but inside those decisions were letting me know of the fact that he slept with my cousin as well as with Katherine and a few more."

Tomoyo scoffed. She slowly put her tea down as she let the words slowly sink in. "Did she also mention to you how much he was hurting? How he was behaving?"

Sakura knew where her friend was going with her question. A couple of weeks ago Meiling had said something about Eriol getting into trouble because of him. It wasn't hard to figure out what was going through her friend's mind this instant. "She didn't say much but enough to know he wasn't himself."

"And you still couldn't make one single call?" She finished asking.

Sakura stared at Tomoyo. Back then, the six of them had the type of friendship that would last a lifetime. They would share secrets with each other and go out to have fun. Every weekend they found something to do as a group like visiting Yuki's place or go to the movies. They had been almost inseparable until the moment she had decided to leave. She had known back then that her decision would bring repercussions. Still, she had taken it. And, even if she could understand her friend, there were things that were better left unsaid. "Don't judge me Tomoyo. He wasn't the only one that went through a hard time."

Tomoyo stared at her friend. The moment Eriol told her Sakura had been here all along something stirred inside of her. She was surprised just like everyone else but she felt something more with the news. As she had talked to her fiancé that night she had promised him not to say anything that could offend anyone but she had to let this out. It had been eating her inside to know that she hadn't cared at all. "I hated every moment Eriol told me he was going to stay with Syaoran. The moment you left none of us were the same. So forgive me if I sound a little bitter hearing that you couldn't even glance back after knowing."

It pained Sakura to hear those words coming from her. They had been the best of friends in the past. "Like I said, he wasn't the only one that had a hard time when we split. But I'm not going back to that time. I'm sorry if my answer doesn't please you Tomoyo but there are things that only pertain to him and me."

Tomoyo sighed. She shook her head softly before going back to her tea in hopes of calming down. She wasn't even sure of what she was hoping to hear from her when confronted but nonetheless it was something she had to get out of her system.

"So, going back to Channel 2…" Meiling interrupted with means of switching the subject quickly. "Why is my uncle suing the entire channel? I mean, we all know it was Katherine the one that did it."

Feeling grateful for the change in subject, Sakura sighed. "That may be true but the channel allowed it. The equipment used is owned by the company. She is not someone that has a high position in there. She's just a mere reporter. Hence, she must have supervisors with supervisors and more supervisors who'll eventually report to the president who in the end is the one that makes the decision. So basically since Katherine is not her own boss your uncle is suing the entire channel."

"I see. Well, she had it coming for spreading all those false rumors about you." Meiling said.

Tomoyo looked at Meiling. "Did you talk to Kyu about the runway opportunity?"

Meiling's mood was instantly lifted with the question. "I did. Surprisingly enough he said yes."

"Really?" Tomoyo shockingly asked.

Meiling nodded. "So make sure you both separate that day. I already asked Carli to get five VIP tickets. I'm telling you, this will be one of the best events of the year."

"Aside from your friend's, and by friend I mean mua, runway you mean…" Tomoyo reminded her while enjoying her tea.

Meiling chuckled. "Why off course."

The three of them laugh as they kept enjoying their tea cup. Sakura still felt a little skeptical about the little interrogation Tomoyo had done on her but decided to let it go for the time being. She truly hoped Tomoyo didn't take her answer against her but in all reality she wasn't willing to share that part of her with them. Although in the past they all had been the best of friends and used to share many secrets, there were some things that she had only shared with Syaoran. Out of all of them, he had been her best friend even before they started dating. Her biggest failures, her worst mistakes, her biggest dreams, there were all things she would share with only him. It was the main reason why they both suffered greatly after their breakup.

Cutting ties with him had been one of the hardest things she had to do back then. Sticking all the way through with her decision had been another. Not giving in to the impulse of calling him, of wanting to see him, of wanting to feel his hugs, his kisses… everything had been hard back then. She remembered her mind would always go back to wonder how he was doing. Had he been able to move on? Would he be able to fulfill his dream once she was gone? As days went by, her curiosity grew and grew to the point where she doubted if she had made the right decision. The only thing that always stopped her from giving in was the fact that he had asked for it. He had needed it to be like that. He had needed her out of his life so he could focus on his career. And even though most of her friends thought her actions had been a little exaggerative, she knew deep down he would've never been able to let her go if she hadn't done what she did.

~ o ~

In a car, not too far from the restaurant, three figures sat down watching.

"You know, this is not what I had in mind when you suggested we find out what they did on these nights." Kyu said.

"Well, this wasn't exactly my entire suggestion. If it would've been for me we would've been inside the restaurant instead of sitting inside a car and watch from afar. This part was all Eriol's."

Eriol scoffed. "Is not enough that we ARE already breaking the rules but you both have delirious thoughts of getting caught."

"Chill out Eriol. I doubt anyone will know we're even here." Kyu said. "Syaoran is an expert in these things."

Syaoran chuckled.

"Mind telling me what's your master plan for getting us back inside our hotel without being seen?" Eriol asked not too fond of having been outnumbered when they decided to do this. It's entirely true the last decision came from him but there was no way he would permit the both of them to leave without him. Besides, he did have to admit he too was a bit curious as to what his fiancé and the rest of the girls called "girl's night out".

"I actually never have one. I improvise once I need to get it."

Eriol looked at his side surprised with Syaoran's answer. "What? You mean to tell me you don't know how we're getting back in?"

"Where's the fun in knowing Eriol?" Syaoran casually said. "Relax man. When it's time to get in then we'll get in."

Eriol sighed shaking his head while regretting his decision even more now after knowing there was actually no concrete plan to getting back to the hotel unseen.

"Look, they're coming out." Kyu pointed.

~ o ~

Sakura looked at her phone while waiting for the waitress to come back with her credit card. She looked at her emails and found work was already waiting for her once she reached her office tomorrow morning. Apparently a new deal caught Xian's attention and he wanted her to check it out. Closing the application she opened her texts to surprisingly find she had none waiting to be responded. The waitress came back and she put her phone away on her purse before signing her bill.

"Ah! I'm very satisfied with this outing. We should do this more often." Meiling contently said. "What's with the long face?"

Sakura looked at her and smiled a little while shaking her head. "I find it quite odd that Syaoran hasn't texted me at all tonight."

"You know, now that you mention it Kyu hasn't either." Meiling said while checking her phone once more. She curiously looked at Tomoyo. "Eriol?"

Tomoyo confidently smiled. "Eriol won't text me. I told him I was going to spend the rest of the day with you girls and he was fine with it. He trusts me and knows I'll call him when I get back to my room."

Sakura raised a brow. "So none of the three have texted or called…?" She kept thinking about the rarity of the situation. Syaoran had never been someone patient. In fact, by far he was one of the most impatient men she had ever known. Add to that the fact that he hadn't been too happy when she told him of her plans for the night and the wheels on her mind started turning and turning. The more she pondered about the situation the more she convinced herself something was up. She took a deep breath before saying, "This is what we're going to do girls, we're going to get in the car and drive up to my apartment."

"You're apartment? I thought we were going back to the hotel?" Tomoyo asked.

"I think we should go to my apartment and chill for a bit before going back to the hotel." Sakura simply said.

Meiling smirked. "You know Sakura…? I like that idea. We should. Who do they think they are? The nerve of them not even caring if we're alright! We should make them worry."

Sakura smirked. "It's settled then. Girls… tonight we'll teach them a lesson or two."

~ o ~

They could see the three girls entering Sakura's car after the valet brought it in front of the restaurant. Eriol turn on his car and slowly started following them making sure to keep a distance between Sakura's car and his. He looked at the time on his car and back to the road. "Hopefully they'll be going back to the hotel right now to drop my girlfriend and with that gentlemen this trip is over."

Kyu chuckled. "Hoping to get back before curfew? I think that doesn't matter right now." He stretched at the back sit. "What's done it's done. No point in regretting it right now."

"That's easy for you to say." Eriol said while looking at Kyu through the mirror. "I still don't get how you both like doing these things."

"Looks like they're not going back to the hotel. They just missed their turn." Syaoran said.

Eriol rolled his eyes and sighed thinking this night couldn't possibly be getting worse.

Syaoran looked at the car taking a right turn and then a left one having the sensation this road seemed quite familiar. He kept looking around till he saw a small coffee shop in a corner and the park in front. "There's heading for Sakura's apartment."

Eriol widened his eyes. "What?"

"Are you sure man?" Kyu asked from behind.

Syaoran looked at him with an obvious yes on his face.

"Isn't that place full of reporters?" Eriol asked.

"I think the reporters are not the only ones we'll probably find. She lives in a closed complex with control access."

Kyu scoffed. "Crap! That sucks! How can we get in then?"

Eriol chuckled smelling victory. "Well… I guess this is it. You guys are not planning on actually following them all the way inside her complex… are you? Time to go back."

"We've been following them all night. What's the point in stopping now? We should try to get inside somehow." Kyu said. "Maybe we can get close enough to enter with them."

Eriol sarcastically laughed. "And risk getting found? Not happening."

"Kyu's right. We can enter carefully behind them and simply turn in one of the streets inside to lose them. I know the way after getting inside her complex." Syaoran suggested.

Eriol shook his head sighing. Saying goodbye to his short victory on his mind he decided to follow their plan once more. They were already out of curfew, out of the hotel, what could one more thing possibly do? Right…?

~ o ~

"Maybe I should call Eriol. I thought that by now I would be back in the hotel." Tomoyo said.

"That would defeat the purpose of coming here." Sakura simply said as she turned once more until she reached the electric gate to her apartment complex. She pressed a small button in her car and waited for the gate to open.

"Well, but it's kind of late. I don't like for him not to know where I'm at."

"Oh please Tomoyo. I'm sure my cousin will not mind. It's not like you ever do anything inappropriate anyways." Meiling said. She was a little worried as she kept looking at her phone for any signs of her boyfriend but didn't say anything. "I mean we're going to Sakura's apartment. What wrong can we do?"

Sakura rubbed her eyes while waiting for the gate to completely open. As she waited, she looked through her mirror like she normally did. Something about the car and two badly hidden figures seemed familiar. Closing her eyes and opening them again, she looked at the mirror once more to see if her eyes were playing tricks on her. She narrowed her eyes. She couldn't believe it. "Oh! I'm sure they know exactly where we're at."

Tomoyo looked at her. "You think they imagine us going to your apartment?"

"Don't look, but I believe they're behind us."

"What?" Tomoyo loudly asked.

"Don't look!" Sakura quickly repeated.

"Syaoran?" Meiling asked.

"The three of them." Sakura answered as she drove inside her complex making sure they didn't noticed that they knew about their whereabouts already.

"What are we going to do then?" Meiling asked.

Sakura smirked. "Oh… we're going to surprised them. Both of you act normal walking inside my apartment. Once they park their car in front of it, we'll get out through the back door and catch them."

~ o ~

Their plan worked to perfection. They were able to enter the complex right behind Sakura. Just like Syaoran had suggested, they made a left turn quickly to avoid being too obvious and waited for Sakura's car to disappear before driving once more towards her apartment. A couple of minutes later, they parked their car outside in front of her apartment but on the sidewalk.

The first thing Eriol did was to look around several times. "I'm surprised there are no reporters around." He commented after the third time he looked around. There were a few cars parked but not one person was inside any of them. It was one of the things that had worried him after Syaoran mentioned they were coming here.

"Must have grown tired of waiting for Sakura. She was staying at Feimei's for the time being." Syaoran said while looking through one of her windows. They could clearly see the girls on, what Syaoran knew, was the living room.

"They look like they're having fun." Kyu commented after watching his girlfriend with a glass of wine in her hands.

"I'm pretty sure if I would've asked Tomoyo she would've told me everything they did. This is absolutely absurd."

"Oh, stop being such a party pooper Eriol." Syaoran said as he pressed a button on the side for the window to go down. They watched as the girls toasted and walked towards a side with no walls. "It's not like we have anything better to do in that hotel without them."

"I second that." Kyu said.

Eriol looked at Kyu but didn't say anything. He turned back to look at the window which curiously enough lacked any movements. Several minutes passed and still they couldn't see any movements inside. "What are they doing? Are they even there? I mean, I don't see anyone." The three of them watch intently at the window but saw no movement.

"I don't see anyone either. Are you sure they're there?" a womanly voice asked from Syaoran's window.

The three of them looked towards the owner of the voice and widened their eyes. It was Sakura. Eriol grimaced and closed his regretfully before saying, "I'm going to kill you Syaoran."

"Gentlemen," Sakura being a little too cheerful for herself said, "why don't we all go inside my apartment?"

Syaoran gulped.

~ o ~

The sight that greeted them was not a happy one. Three sides of woman could be seen as they nervously glanced from one to the other. Meiling looked quite happy with the situation while Tomoyo looked completely the opposite. Then there was Sakura… who just a couple of minutes ago looked too cheerful for anyone and now looked totally in control of her emotions. Even as Syaoran stared at her, he couldn't figure out what she was thinking. Was she happy, was she angry… they weren't emotions she was giving away with her menacing look.

"How could you?" Tomoyo angrily asked almost to the point of screaming.

Eriol raised his hands in an apologetic way. "Babe, it's not what you think."

Tomoyo furiously looked at him. "It's not what I think? Am I not seeing you here? Are you a figment of my imagination?"

"No! That's not what I mean." He tried to explain.

"Do you not trust me?" she angrily asked.

"No! I mean yes I do trust you but this is not what you think. I was totally against this from the very beginning."

"And yet you are here! Was this your idea of a surprise? Because I can tell you right now it's not a welcomed one." Then she turned towards Syaoran. "Was this your idea? I thought we were passed this." Once more she looked towards her fiancé. "Does this ring mean nothing to you?" she asked while pointing her engagement ring

Eriol quickly intervened knowing how quickly and badly this could escalate. Well… more than what it was already escalated anyways. "Babe! Babe, calm down."

"Calm down?" she angrily asked.

"No! No, you have every right to be angry at me."

"I can't believe this!" she said before furiously turning around and walking away.

Sakura watched as Eriol followed her fiancé still trying to explain from behind her until she locked herself in one of the rooms she found in the apartment. Then suddenly from her other side Meiling quickly jumped to hug and kiss Kyu.

"Aw babe, were you worried about me?" she sweetly asked him.

Kyu happily smiled. "You know my thoughts are always on you love." He simply said before giving her another kiss.

"Am I not being greeted that way?" Syaoran asked while pointing at the kissing couple.

Sakura simply raised a brow. "Actually you should feel lucky enough that I am greeting you at all." She watched as Syaoran, trying to be funny, switched directions from pointing towards the kissing couple to the one fighting in separate rooms. In all reality she wasn't furious of the fact that they had followed them all the way to her apartment. She wasn't naïve enough to think this was a trust issue. The problem didn't lie in trusting, it was more what he wanted. Syaoran had always been used to getting what he wanted. Sighing, she signaled for him to follow her to the kitchen where they could talk alone for a couple of minutes. Once they were inside, she turned towards him. "Really…?"

He rubbed the back of his head with his arm before looking at her. "I wanted to see you."

She stared at him feeling a little disappointed with his reason. "And for that you were willing to risk everything you've worked for? For just a glimpse of me?"

Her tone let him know she wasn't kidding at all. If Eriol was in trouble, he probably was completely screwed. "I'm sorry."

She sarcastically nodded before asking, "Do you mean that?"

He stared at her for a couple of seconds before honestly answering, "No."

She nodded. As she watched him take one step towards her she raised her hand stopping any more steps from him. "Not one more step. I'm not happy with this Xiaolang."

He stared at her. Her use of his Chinese name only indicated that she was indeed angry with him. It had been a habit of hers since they had met. Whenever she wasn't content or about to fight with him she would use his Chinese name. With time, he had learned to take it as a hint. Once used, he knew immediately not to joke around whatever she wanted to argue about. "I just… we had tonight off. I thought you would want to spend tonight with me instead of with the girls."

She stared at him in silence. The way he danced around the words let he know he wasn't finished. And, just like she had imagined, her patience rewarded her when she heard his last words…

"I wanted to spend tonight with you." He said.

Voila! Just like magic, his real reason came out. "And you couldn't ask? I didn't know you had tonight off. You never told me. And if you would've asked I would've cancel this and simply do it another night."

"I'm sorry." He said. "And this time I do mean it."

"To make it worst you decided to drag along two of your teammates to your little escapade." She sighed and shook her head. "You told me I wouldn't be an obstacle."

"I said I'm sorry." He quickly said.

"It's not just me you have to be sorry to. I've heard this is not the first time you've gotten your cousin in trouble. Meiling might be okay with it but Tomoyo is not."

He rolled his eyes. "Don't you think she's exaggerating a little bit?" he asked but immediately put his hands up in defeat after watching Sakura incredulous stare boring into his eyes. "Fine! I'll apologize."

She shook her head. His childish attitude almost made her laugh but she tried with all her might to stay serious. Syaoran had never been easy to handle. Probably one of the reasons he had so much trouble in staying inside a relationship after she left. She could see something had indeed been broken between Tomoyo and him in the past. Tomoyo had never had the attitude to handle Syaoran's little demeanors and Eriol had never been strong minded enough to be able to say no to his troublemaker cousin.

He took the courage to walk a couple of steps till he was in front of her. He embraced her in a hug and softly and more calmed than before he said, "I'm sorry."

She nodded inside him embrace before saying, "Go back to the hotel and make sure none of you are seen." She felt him search for her lips but she put her hand on his preventing him from reaching his objective. "Don't even."

He deviously smiled keeping his hungry stare on her and instead grabbed her hand and kissed it. "Fine."

She watched him turn around and walked away back to the living room. She took a deep breath. Truly it took all of her not to give in to his embrace. Inside, she was a little happy to know he would do this for her but at the same time she felt a little guilty for what he did. She could clearly understand why he did it but stood by her reason. What they did could cost them dearly.

~ o ~

Sakura took a shower and prepare herself to go to bed. She washed her teeth followed by her face and dried it with a towel. Since the guys had to go back to the hotel they had been kind enough to take Meiling and Tomoyo with them. Or it could also be said they weren't actually given a choice for their mischief in following them around. In her case, she had decided to stay home. It had been awhile since she had been able to stay peacefully in her apartment. Reporters had finally given up on finding her here though as a precaution she wouldn't push her luck. Tomorrow morning she would be back to staying with Feimei.

She lay on her bed and as a normal habit picked up one of the books on her night stand. Immersed in her book she enjoyed the first couple of pages before getting interrupted by her phone. Picking it up, she noticed she had received a text from Syaoran. When she opened it she found a picture of the three of them inside the hotel room. Syaoran and Kyu were both smiling sheepishly at the camera while Eriol was a little pissed off and looking away from it. A chuckled erupted from her mouth at how comical the three of them looked. She made a note to herself to speak with Tomoyo about tonight's incident. The night had ended in catastrophe for poor Eriol who was only following his cousin's childish plans. Of the three of them, he was probably the one that suffered the most because no matter how childish and irresponsible their little escapade was there was a part of her that actually liked it. Contrary to Tomoyo's way of thinking, Sakura liked that Syaoran thought of doing this just to see her. She didn't agree with his timing but his reason for doing it so had definitely melted her total angriness away when she spoke to him about it.

Then again, Syaoran's childish plan was the one that kept her awake tonight. She put her book down and stared at the roof. He had wanted to spend time with her. It was the reason why he had done it. She looked at their picture once more and a plan came to her mind. She wasn't sure if it was a good one but it was worth a try. She went to her contacts and dialed Tomoyo's phone number. A drowsy voice greeted her. "Hey, Tomoyo. I'm sorry to wake you up."

"_Sakura? What time is it?"_

"One. But I wanted to check on how you were doing?" she asked.

"_I truly don't want to talk about this at one."_

"I talked to Syaoran and I'm truly sorry. He shouldn't have done that."

_Tomoyo grunted. "Sakura, no offense but I truly don't want to talk about this right now."_

"I know, I know but… well, the reason I wanted to talk to you about this is because I was thinking of a way to help with this and I think I may have found one but I need your help." Sakura said. She heard some movement on the other end and waited for Tomoyo's answer.

"_A way of helping?"_

"I need you to let me borrow your room for tonight."

"_Sakura… its one o'clock in the morning."_

"Can you trust me on this? I can assure you it can help both of you."

~ o ~

Syaoran had gotten back to the room and the first thing he did was to text his girlfriend a picture to let her know they had indeed succeeded in making it back to the room unseen. It was true, not all of them were happy with the outcome of their little excursion but he knew it would pass. He placed his phone under his bed sheets and kept looking at it. So far, she hadn't texted back but he could clearly see she had seen the message. Perhaps she went to bed already. With that in mind, he closed his eyes to sleep.

He hadn't been long gone when suddenly a knock was heard at their door. Being the light sleeper he was, he opened his eyes and look towards his side to see if Eriol had woken up. His cousin hadn't moved an inch. Sighing, he took the bed sheets off and walked towards the door. When he opened it, he found Tomoyo standing outside their room. "Tomoyo…?" he asked still a little out of sorts from being woken up a little over the middle of the night.

Syaoran's voice made Eriol quickly wake up from his bed and walk towards their door. He needed to confirm for himself that his cousin was indeed not playing another prank on him. When he reached the door, he saw with his own eyes that indeed his girlfriend was standing right outside their room.

Tomoyo looked from Syaoran to Eriol before looking back at the culprit for all their problems. "Syaoran, can you please sleep in my room tonight? I have to speak with Eriol."

He rubbed his eyes. "We have curfew."

"Syaoran!" Eriol loudly said. "Can you please do this for me?"

He looked at his cousin and narrowed his eyes. He hated when Eriol yelled at him as if he was a little kid but then he remembered the conversation he had with Sakura earlier and sighed. He took his jacket and the key from Tomoyo's hand. If they asked him, he would still say she had been completely exaggerating with her little show back in Sakura's apartment but he wouldn't say much on the matter. What was done was done and because of him his cousin got in trouble. He was about to walk out but halted and looked at her, "It was my fault. He never wanted to go in the first place. I'm sorry."

Tomoyo narrowed her eyes at him. If it wasn't for his little stunt she would've never argued with Eriol in the first place. "Make sure you're not seen."

He nodded and walked out of his room.

Tomoyo closed the door once he was completely out. She stared at Eriol and took a deep breath. "You know I hate when you do this."

"I'm sorry." Eriol pleaded. "I truly didn't want to go. I even tried to make them change their mind."

"That doesn't mean you have to follow them Eriol. What would've happened if you've would've gotten caught? For following your cousin who you know has been rebelling against anyone that puts any restraints on him for quite too long. Would it have been worth it? Do you think he actually cares?"

Eriol looked away. It wasn't that Syaoran didn't care, knowing his cousin the way he did he was entirely sure that Syaoran was one of the guys that cared the most about this tournament including the well being of his teammates. Then again, there was something very true in Tomoyo's words… Syaoran had never liked abiding by rules. He found them somewhat dull and boring, a perspective Eriol had never shared with him. But truly, what could be done when it was family? And yet… coming back to his senses and understanding the predicament he was in right now he wouldn't dare defend his cousin. No… it was better if he simply didn't fuel his fiancé's anger anymore. "I thought that perhaps if I were to go with them I could stop them at some point in between from doing something regretful before it was too late." Then he looked at her once more. "I never meant to hurt your feelings babe."

"Every time you follow his stupid plans you end up hurting me Eriol. Even when you don't mean it."

He looked down trying to find the right words to say. "I apologize. I should've known better than to follow his stupid plan."

Tomoyo shook her head and sighed. She was still a little mad with the whole situation but she wasn't about to lose a night given to be with her fiancé. With that in mind, she walked towards him and hugged him. "I thought that perhaps with Sakura he would've stopped by now."

Eriol chuckled. "Got to say… he did stay months out of trouble."

Tomoyo looked at him and quickly asked, "Are you defending him?"

"Absolutely not love." He said as he smiled and kissed her.

~ o ~

It didn't take long to find her room. He put in the key, opened it, and walked inside. The door closed behind him. He turned on the lights and froze. In front of him was Sakura looking back at him. "Sak?" He softly smiled after recuperating from his shock.

"I thought that perhaps I could help Eriol after you deliberately put him in jeopardy." She calmly said.

He put his hands in his pockets and smirked. "Are you sure it wasn't because you already missed me?"

She chuckled. Apparently being half asleep didn't stop him from being irritably arrogant. "You know… now that you mention it, I may have taken pity on your face when you left my apartment."

He walked towards her till he was in front of her. He took his right hand out of his pocket and caressed her face before softly saying, "Pity or missed me already? Though I have to say I like my presumption much better than yours."

She smiled feeling his touch before feeling his lips against hers. He played with her lower lip before kissing her once more. She put her hand on top of his and finished the kiss. She looked down before taking a deep breath and looking at him. "Just one night Syaoran."

He ran his finger through her lips and nodded while smiling. He put his hands around her and tenderly hugged her. "Alright, one night."

She smiled in his embrace and hugged his waist. "I mean it."

He chuckled. "So do I… what makes you think I'm thinking otherwise?"

She sighed. "And stop getting your cousin into trouble too."

He nuzzled her neck as he breathed the smell of her hair and smiled before softly saying, "I must admit… that's the first time I ever got caught." He kissed her shoulder before saying to her ear, "Come on. Let's go to bed."

She felt his hands intertwined with hers as he took her towards the bed. "What time do you have to be up?"

"Three in the afternoon." He casually said.

She chuckled and smirked. "Liar." She said knowingly. "You're not to get into any more trouble than what you already are." She took the bed comforter and sheets out so that she could lie on her side.

He chuckled and got into bed right next to her. After she settled behind the bed sheets, he put his arm around her. "Breakfast is optional."

She laughed and turned her head to look at him. "Breakfast is never optional for an athlete."

He pouted before smiling. "If it means you're staying longer, I can easily be the first athlete who considers it optional."

She playfully rolled her eyes at him. "Go to sleep Syaoran."

He smiled and quickly gave her a small peck on her lips before softly saying, "I don't think I want to." He took a deep breath as he found her left hand and kissed it before entwining his fingers with hers. "I missed you a lot since last night."

She smiled at his words as she stared at him. Syaoran had always been very honest and outspoken when it came to his feelings. If he liked something he would say it. If he didn't, he would say it as well. There was no in betweens in him. His honesty was black or white, never gray. Suddenly a thought entered her head. She was cuddling with Syaoran on bed just like they had done many years ago. It's true that he had stayed at her apartment the night they had officially gotten back together but the feeling wasn't the same. Somehow tonight felt a little different. She felt more at ease than she did before. "I missed you too." She halted for a second considering where her thoughts were taking her before softly saying, "Since I left." She absentmindedly caressed his hand, a gesture she used to do to soothe her nervousness in the past. "I stopped watching movies after coming here." She said absentmindedly. "I couldn't watch them without you."

"We watched Jason Bourne." He said.

She chuckled. "You only watched the first fifteen minutes of the movie."

He stared at her. "You're right. The rest of the movie I thought about you."

His little confession made her stare at him. When she had noticed he wasn't truly watching the movie anymore she had thought he was actually thinking about his injury or how fast he could recover. Maybe even be worrying about how his teammates would do without them inside the field but she had never thought he was actually thinking about her.

He caressed her face. "I thought of a thousand ways to cuddle with you like this without you turning me down."

She kept looking at him. Suddenly something inside of her broke. Not knowing what to think about his little confession, she simply smiled and took her hand away from his before turning towards her side and away from him. "Let's just sleep."

As Syaoran watched her, he was completely sure he saw something familiar in her eyes. Something he knew she wouldn't let others see. He hugged her back and softly said to her ear, "I'm here now."

She nodded and quickly blinked away the first signs of a tear that started forming on her eyes.

He kissed her neck and tightened his embrace. "We can watch as many movies as you like after my tournament."

She rolled her eyes at his comment. Give it to him to try to make a joke out of a serious conversation they were having. But still she loved it. He made her smile as she turned to look at him. "Is that all you can think of when I tell you this?"

He smirked. "I can tell you I can kiss your pain away but then again-" He covered himself quickly as he felt her playful smack hitting his stomach. He flinched and laughed, "You probably won't like it."

She rolled her eyes once more and shook his head. "Go to sleep Syaoran."

He chuckled. After a couple of seconds he hugged her back once more before saying, "You may not like this but I'm a little glad to hear you say that."

"You're glad?" she asked.

He nodded. "I am. To be honest, I hated the thought of you being with another man, especially doing those things. Watching movies in the sofa, eating ice cream, walks in the park, trying new restaurants, running in the morning… they were our things. I hate that I hurt you but I'm relieved that you didn't shared our things."

"Mmm… I only said the movies…" she said hoping to get a little payback for saying he was glad.

"Mmm… don't spoil it." He said before kissing her once more.

She chuckled as she kissed him. Turning around so she could be facing him, she put her arm around him and laid her head against his chest.

He softly smiled as he put his arm around her. She had finally shared something from her past with him. He could feel her little by little opening up to him once more and that calmed him. It was a long road but before he didn't even know where to start. She had agreed to been with him but that had never meant she had opened up to him. And yet coming back to him tonight stirred something within his heart. She was slowly starting to feel comfortable to the idea of being with him once more. She was slowly letting go of those walls she had built within herself out of fear of getting hurt once more by him.

**Author's note:** Yeiiiii… Here's chapter twentieth! Hope you guys enjoyed it and please take a little of your time to review it and let me know what you think.


	21. Chapter 21 - War of Footsteps

"_**And we always want roses, and Venice, Verona, &amp; Paris, and life is another thing, the truth, the lie, and a yes." – Dani Martin**_

**Chapter 21  
"War of Footsteps"**

She woke up to a tight embrace and a warm back against hers. Softly opening her eyes, she noticed the sky hadn't welcomed the sun yet. Syaoran's stillness made her wonder if he was awake yet but his deep breathing confirmed he wasn't. Even though the sun wasn't up yet, she could see the silhouette of his hand surrounding her waist on top of the sheets. She curiously stared at it as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world to see it slowly transcending from a dark silhouette to a light tanned color as the first rays of sun finally started appearing in the sky.

She softly traced one of the lines with her finger very careful as to avoid waking him up. His rough skin was a clear indication of the time they had spent apart. Hands that used to intertwined with hers in a past she had dared to run from. In vain? No… it hadn't been in vain. He had needed it that way and she had needed to find herself without him. Luck? She didn't believe in luck. Life was a road built with each step lived. Each decision taken, each decision not taken... both formed a person's road. Then, what to call it if it needed a word? Fate? The judge was still out on that one. All she knew was that once again she ended up back in his arms.

She smiled to herself. Who would've ever thought that after so many years apart they would find each other still feeling this way? Sensing him stir, she smiled. "Are you finally awake?"

He shook his head grunting his protest to her question before nuzzling against her neck. Wanting to prolong the moment he tightened his hold on her and kept his eyes closed. "One more hour."

She chuckled. "Did you jump the minutes?"

He smirked. "Or two more?"

With some difficulty, because of Syaoran's tight hold on her, she moved so she could be facing the ceiling then turned her head to find him wide awake and staring at her.

"Maybe more than two hours…" he softly said while looking at her.

She playfully rolled her eyes smiling. "You must have breakfast with your teammates."

He smirked. "I already told you it was optional."

"Yeah… I do not believe a single word out of that sentence." She sarcastically said rolling her eyes and chuckling. "Are you planning on doing anything constructive today instead of staring at my face?"

He smiled at her question. Waking up next to her was enough incentive for him not to want to get out of bed at all the entire day. He moved a small strand of hair out of her face. "I want a rain check on the other half of the night you didn't spend with me."

She sarcastically raised her brow. "Excuse me?"

He turned to face the ceiling as well and put his hands on the back of his head. "Well, it's only obvious that I get a rain check. The way I see it… you didn't spend an entire night with me because Tomoyo arrived in the middle of the night to my room last night which technically means I only spend half the night with you."

She got up to a sitting position and narrowed her eyes at him not believing what she had just heard. Noticing him avoiding her eyes, she grabbed her pillow and hit his chest with it.

"Ah!" he playfully looked at her as he rubbed his chest. "That hurt. I might have to charge another night for the hit."

She sarcastically nodded. "Oh really?" she asked before hitting him once more. "Half a night?" She hit him once more.

He covered himself from her third hit. With a serious face on he said, "I will not fall under these childish tactics of yours."

She smirked and chuckled before hitting him again. "And you still don't want to wake up?"

He covered himself from her next attack before grabbing his pillow as well. Sitting in the bed he playfully hit her back with it.

"Ah!" she moved to cover her face as Syaoran's pillow hit her shoulder. Laughing, she swung her arm once more to hit him again. It didn't take long for what she considered to be a way of waking him up to turn into a pillow fight between the two of them.

He chuckled and covered her next hit with his pillow. "You know… if I charged you a night per hit you'd owe me more than a week by now."

"More than a week?" she sarcastically asked. She stood up and started hitting him from a different angle to have an advantage in this small pillow fight. She didn't have it for long though as Syaoran also stood up and started hitting her standing up. The only difference was that in this position he obviously had the advantage since he was taller than her by mere inches. "Ah!" she playfully complained laughing at the same time before running away from him towards the small living room.

He laughed and followed her with the intent of never stopping this pillow fight. "Where are you going babe?" he sarcastically asked while swinging his pillow again. "I'm awake now!"

"Ah!" she laughed as her pillow hit his once more. Turning from him, she tried to run away from him again swinging her pillow back without looking as she ran once more towards the bedroom. Having Syaoran close by, she jumped over the bed and landed on the other side laughing. She waited for him on the other side hoping he would do the same and to her relief he did. She took the opportunity to hit him once more.

He covered from her attack laughing as well but kept going after her. There was no way he would let her go without teaching her the repercussions of waking him up so abruptly. No… Never… That simply wasn't an option. He kept running after her swinging his pillow and hitting hers in the process. A couple of feathers started falling out of his pillow but that didn't stop him. He kept swinging away to no avail until those feathers suddenly started coming out in bunches. Dropping what was left of the pillow to the floor he decided to just go straight for her.

"Ah!" she playfully screamed again still running away from him. She didn't get too far as she felt Syaoran's arm surrounding her waist. She laughed as he playfully carried her to the bedroom.

"Pillow fight?" he asked to her ear while chuckling. Reaching the bed he threw himself backwards with her in his hands. He felt her trying to break from his embrace while laughing.

"At least you're fully awake now." She answered smirking. Looking down at the mess they had done she wondered when exactly had it started? She hadn't noticed when the pillows broke. She simply kept hitting his without looking back. Whether she hit or missed him she had no idea, but now looking at the floor from the bed it was clear it was quite a mess. "Look at what you did!" she said laughing.

"Me?" he playfully said faking his surprise at her question. Shaking his head without letting her go he said, "No babe. This one is on you."

She chuckled. "You would blame this on me? What kind of boyfriend are you?"

"The mean sexy hot one." He said in a deep voice that made her laugh before kissing her neck. "What are you doing today?"

"I'm meeting your father in the office."

"Oh! Fun…" he sarcastically said rolling his eyes.

She chuckled. "The doctor finally released him and I have to debrief him with everything that we've accomplished so far in his absence."

"Does that include the hotel in England or does he know already?" he asked remembering the conversation they had on the roof the other night. She had been pretty down when she told him the story. From what he had heard she had a strong personality when it came to doing business. It wasn't normal to see his girlfriend that way but he was glad that she didn't hide it from him or keep it to herself.

She smirked. "He knows but is still part of the meeting since technically he was out of the office when it happened." Out of all the questions he could ask about his father's health or return to the office she was intrigued he instead had asked about the England hotel. "Does it bother you?"

"What?"

"That Oliver chose to flirt with me rather than give me the job?"

He smiled at her. Bother… bother wasn't exactly the word he would use to describe what he truly felt whenever another guy decided to flirt with her. Staring deeply into her eyes he wondered if she even had a single idea of what she did to him. "Sometimes you make me feel like I don't want to stay in this hotel any longer."

"Do you think I can't handle him?"

"It's not about handling Sak. Even that idiot spends more time with you right now than I can."

"That can be arranged." She said before pecking his lips. Amused by his words she smiled. Sometimes he could be such a child when wanting something. The distance this tournament demanded from both of them had been hard. It was the reason why she had asked him not to depend on her. "You are in the finals. It's a dream you've had since you were a child. Me… I've watched you play since we were in high school. I've seen the way you've worked hard to be here. Even when we were apart I watched some of your televised games. I was with you when you needed to recover from your injury and I'll be here once this ends. You have one more game. If I remember correctly, you said you would win this."

"I am." He confidently said before pausing. Rolling his eyes he added, "We are. The no I in team thing…"

She laughed. "Good. Then just enjoy your game. Live the moment. I'll still be here once this is over."

How could he not love this woman? He stared at her while tracing her lips with his fingers thinking how badly he wanted to say those words out loud. Every word spoken by her ignited a fire inside of him that pushed him to be a better person. She had promised him she would be here before but hearing her saying it again gave him strength to endure whatever he had left of this tournament. It was true. He had dreamed of this moment since he was a child. The championship lied in his hands and his ability to focus till the end.

~ o ~

Eriol walked comfortably through the hallway with his hands in his pockets and whistling to himself. He pushed the elevator button and waited. Thinking about last night made him smirked. He had to admit sometimes Syaoran's rebellious behavior came in handy. Not that he liked fighting with his fiancé but she hadn't stayed with him since this tournament had started and finally last night his wish came true. She had come in the middle of the night knocking at the door and proposed something she would've never thought of doing on her own. Sometimes he had to give it to his cousin… the guy even knew how to screw up and still get what he wanted.

He walked inside the elevator and waited for it to reach the lobby. Their coach had given them yesterday afternoon off with means of resting and they were all supposed to meet at the restaurant in the morning.

"Hirragizawa!"

Ah! Thinking of the King of Rome… "Coach!" he responded smiling.

"Where's Li? You both should've been here five minutes ago." His coach said.

Eriol stared at him. His cousin hadn't arrived for breakfast yet. 'Idiot! I take back everything good I thought about him this morning!' he thought cursing himself for finding himself in this predicament. He smiled before quickly saying, "Ah! Yes, well I took a longer shower than usual. And well… you know Syaoran. He always likes to do things the same way." Rolling his eyes casually he added, "Superstition… And well… he had to take a shower before coming downstairs but he should be here any time."

Coach narrowed his eyes. He had seen Eriol's nervousness before when speaking. It usually meant he was lying and whatever they were up to he was definitely not going to like. Shaking his head he was about to call him out on his lie when suddenly the elevator door once again opened. He passed by Eriol and walked straight towards it.

Out of the elevator came a walking Syaoran much too relaxed and smiling to himself. He still hadn't noticed that their coach was waiting for him with his hands crossed over his chest. All that plagued his mind was how good it felt waking up next to Sakura this morning. It definitely made his day.

"Li!"

Syaoran looked up. Then suddenly his day started changing. His smiled slowly fading when he looked at his coach's face in front of him.

"You're unusually late this morning." Coach said.

Syaoran looked at his coach before looking a little further back at his cousin who quickly looked at his watch and nodded towards it. "Ah yes! Sorry coach. Eriol took longer than usual on the shower."

Coach narrowed his eyes at him. He looked at him from top to bottom and then right back up. Happy face…? Dry hair…? There was no way he could believe such a lie from both of them. Years of coaching this team had taught him well enough about his players to know when they were lying or telling the truth. And right now he could tell both of his players were lying to him. The problem lied on what to do about it. For now, he would let them go until he could come up with the correct punishment for their actions. The last laugh would definitely be his. "Both of you go to the restaurant. Your teammates are waiting for you."

"Yes coach." They both said before heading over to the restaurant leaving their coach in the lobby.

"I didn't think you remembered the signals with it being so long and everything." Syaoran smirking said.

"Let it be known my debt for last night was just paid." Eriol said in a low voice so that only Syaoran would hear.

Syaoran chuckled. "Ah… when I tell Kyu about this he won't believe it. More than three rules broken in less than twenty four hours… that's an achievement for you. I'm so glad my sacrifice didn't go to waste."

Eriol scoffed and frowned. "Your sacrifice?" Then he smirked. "The moment I say my fiancé at the door I knew this must've been Sakura's idea. Between the three of them she's the only one as crazy as you to come up with these things but with the slight difference that she knows exactly how to do them without getting my fiancé pissed. Wasn't she waiting in the other side?"

Syaoran smirked and chuckled as they both walked inside of the restaurant. Indeed his girlfriend was as ingenious as him. Another one of her characteristics in his long list of things he loved about her.

~ o ~

Xian stood up from his chair inside the conference room gaining the attention of all members of the board. He looked around and memorized every detail of their facial expressions knowing quite well not all of them were satisfied with some of his decisions. Most precisely with the decision of giving Sakura the power of handling the company any way she saw fit. "And so, I believe we all should thank Ms. Kinomoto for doing a marvelous job at taking care of this company in my absence."

"I'm not quite sure I'm hearing you well." One of them said. He cleared his throat before continuing. "After all this meeting just put you up to speed on what's going on with the company. While we are up and still running smoothly, a great deal was lost in the hands of Ms. Kinomoto."

Xian chuckled. Yep… he would silence these thoughts once and for all. "I wouldn't call it a great deal until a project is completely finished. But if you're so keen on calling it a great deal then I guess we'll just have to wait and see in a couple of months once it starts running. I'll agree or disagree with you then though I dare to say the outcome of the project will be pretty close to what I already think of it. As for Ms. Kinomoto…" he turned to look at Sakura and smiled, "My thanks for keeping this company running while I was away."

Sakura responded with a small bow of her head. It wasn't a surprised for others to see Xian backing her work up in this meeting. The fact that she had always been his favorite project manager never escaped them. She watched as Xian released everyone from the meeting and waited in her chair for them to leave the room. When she was left with only him, she stood up and closed the door. "I must say I agree with Miku."

He knowingly smiled. "Why? Because of an undone project? I think you have more sense than that."

She looked at him. "It was a good deal for the company to have. It would've increased the value of our portfolio. If not, you would've never agreed on me having it." She said as she watched him. His facial expression turning into a well familiar smirk, one she had left in the hotel a couple of hours ago. "And I lost it. You're going to tell me he's not right?"

"Did you research the man they hired?"

"I know enough."

"Then you should know he will never be able to deliver that project the way you could've. You're not where you're at out of the goodness of my heart Sakura. I've always told you, you are a great asset to this company. You understand what needs to be done. You see things others can't see when looking at a project. Your development plan surpasses most plans I've seen even from men belonging to this board. If you weren't good, trust me… you wouldn't be here."

"If I am as good as you say I could've gotten the deal for this company."

"You didn't get the deal because you're involved with my son. Last time I checked, that's a pretty good reason to lose at least that deal."

"That's not the only deal I've lost for this company."

"And trust me… it won't be your last one." Xian smiled and walked back to the head of the table were his documents were placed neatly and organized in a corner of the table. "That's part of the cost of being good at what you do. People will try to swerve you their way and manipulate you to get what they want out of you. That's why you need to keep a clear idea of what you want and stick to it so that you can make your decisions based on what you want instead of what others want."

Sakura silently watched him search through his documents while thinking about what he had just said. It was true. If she thought well about it, she lost both deals because others couldn't manipulate her decision. She had known from the start what she had wanted and since neither offered that to her she simply let them go. Although that didn't take away her small frustration of not getting what she had wanted, she always took Xian's advice to heart.

Xian finally found the folder he was looking for and took it out from among the rest of the papers. "Talking about projects, I want you to take a look at this one and tell me what you think."

Sakura looked at Xian before eyeing the folder. She took it from his hands, opened it, and started going through the papers. "Residential?" she stopped going over the pages and looked at him. "You want to start developing residential projects?"

"This project is not only residential. That is but one piece of it."

Sakura took the pages that provided the architectural plans and spread them apart in the table. After moving piece by piece till she could get a clear picture of the entire project she looked back at Xian. "Ciudadela?" she asked reading the name in a corner mesmerized already with the concept of the plan. Four similar buildings were to be constructed with ten floors each. They wouldn't have the same form from the outside, only the apartments on the inside would be sharing the same architecture. Each building would be placed in a corner of the acres bought for this project and would be connected to the others by a small plaza in the middle of the four buildings with many gardens around. Small commercial stores were placed at the bottom of each building looking towards the plaza while a fountain adorned the middle of it. It was like creating a small town all combined into one project.

"A friend of mine brought it to my attention. He says none of the project managers he has interviewed have connected with the vision he has of this project."

"Where is it at?"

"Here in China. But it's the first of its kind in here." He said while looking at the project as well. "You'll off course have the right to choose your own team although I believe you will probably need more than one project manager to handle this one."

She didn't have to answer yes or no to the project. The look of utter fascination on her face was enough indication to consider this project as her new project acquisition. "Any thoughts on it?" she asked.

"I do have but one. I am planning on making a partnership for the development of the project."

"A partnership?" she asked. One minute he was complementing her on her way of doing things and now he wanted to form a partnership to develop the same project he was offering her. Did he not trust her? "With who?"

"Saki." He simply answered.

Sakura stared at him. 'Figures…' she thought before voicing her opinion on the matter. "If you're thinking that with this project Feimei will end up joining our company then I must warn you, she already has a project on her hands. Though I believe you already know about this…"

Xian chuckled. "She wouldn't be working for us if it's a partnership, would she?"

"Feimei is not like Xiefa, Xian. Xiefa decided to follow you into the business. While Feimei decided to do something similar, she wants to do it on her own."

Xian smiled as he reclined himself from the table facing her. He crossed his hands across his chest and sighed. "I'm not making her do anything she wouldn't want to do. I'm merely looking for a partnership. It could very much happen that Saki doesn't accept my terms then I would have to find another partner for this."

Sakura looked back down at the project. Without a doubt, the idea could catch the attention of any project manager who loved a challenge. After setting the plans on the table it didn't take her long to know she wanted to be the one in charge of this one. But there was one thing that threw her back out of all this deal… Saki. Xian's calmness when talking about the partnership made her doubt for a second. She thought of the many reasons why he could want a partnership to be formed for making this project. Years of being his trainee had its advantages. She had learned to read between the lines when it came to him especially when he calmly talked about something. Being a ruthless business predator didn't come only out of talk when speaking about Xian. What he wanted, for some reason he would always get or others would suffer the consequences whether they wanted to or not. And that was one of the things that worried her about this project. Wanting a partnership with Saki wasn't a coincidence.

When she had asked about the partnership his first option was an alliance with his daughter's company. From the moment Feimei had set foot in China he had tried to lure her into working in the family business as well, just like Xiefa. But Feimei had other plans. Her strong will allowed her to stay apart doing what she loved away from her father's shadow. Which is why it worried her that his first option had been that one. Searching for a partnership with Saki meant he was playing his first move.

"What if I say no?" she boldly asked.

He smirked. "Then I'll give it to Xiefa."

'Second move.' Sakura thought. He would have the project whether she accept it or not.

"Would you use me as bait if I decide to do it?"

He knowingly smiled. "Like I said, I wouldn't make my daughter do something she wouldn't want to do. In the end, it's her decision although I would very much like it if she said yes."

'Third move.' He knew already Feimei would accept doing this if there was a chance of working together without the need of joining her father's company.

It was fascinating. The way he thought about every small outcome of a situation before they happened was one of the things that captivated her attention and inspired her to keep working for him. There were so many things she could still learn from him. To be honest, the more she thought about it the more she convinced herself that his truly first moved had been to show the project to her. It was too good of a challenge for her to decline. "I'll take it."

That been said, Xian agreed to send all the information pertaining the project to her assistant before she walked out of the conference room. She couldn't help but feel a little excited about this one. Hopefully she could prepare a good presentation of what she had in mind to be the development plan. Xian would take care of setting the date with the owner so she could present her idea and hopefully seal the deal. She walked inside her office but paused before reaching her desk when she looked at her friend Tomoyo sitting in the couch waiting for her.

"Tomoyo." She happily greeted. "What a pleasant surprise. I didn't expect to see you here. Did you text me or something?" she asked while looking through the unanswered messages on her phone.

Tomoyo stood up from the couch and shook her head. "No. I actually was hoping to find you here and speak to you."

Sakura nodded. "Sure. Did you wait long?"

"No. Your assistant let me through to wait here. I hope you don't mind."

"Off course not! Do you want anything to drink?"

Tomoyo shook her head. "No, I'm good."

"Okay." Sakura said before grabbing a small water bottle from her small fridge at the side and walking over towards her. "So, what's going on?"

Tomoyo sighed. "I wanted to talk about last night."

Sakura nodded but waited for her to continue.

"I think I owe you an apology."

Sakura laughed a little while shaking her head casually. "What for?"

"For what I said when we were having dinner."

"You don't need to apologize for anything. I'm actually glad that after so many years apart at least we can still be honest with each other." Sakura simply said.

Tomoyo shook her head. "I do need to apologize. You see, I promised Eriol I wouldn't bring any of this up after he told me you were here in China many months ago."

Sakura smiled. "Then I won't tell anything to Eriol and we're both good with this."

Tomoyo smiled. "The reason I'm here Sakura is because after thinking about this you're right about one thing. I don't know how you were when you guys broke up in the past. Perhaps you were doing as bad as him or maybe a little better and when I said what I said last night I was only thinking about how hard this had been for me."

Sakura frowned. "Tomoyo-"

Tomoyo put her hand up to silence her friend. "Please let me finish. You say we can still be honest with each other, I'm hoping that is the case. I wasn't trying to judge you but it did affect us all what you did back then. Syaoran was never easy to handle. Without you there it became a nightmare. When Eriol told me they found you here, a lot of thoughts came to mind. Mixed feelings of sorts. Most along the lines of 'one of my best friends was found though she never cared enough to look back.' Even so, I want you to know that I wasn't trying to judge you last night. My words came out of being a little hurt. Syaoran never told us what truly happened between you two. He only kept repeating it had all being his fault." She paused and took a deep breath before saying, "I'm truly happy we found you again Sakura. And I'm sorry for what I said last night."

Sakura shook her head. "Stop, you don't need to apologize Tomoyo. I'm the one who should be apologizing for what you went through. Thank you… for your words. Even though you don't need to apologize it feels good to know we can still talk like this."

Tomoyo scoffed and smiled. "To finish my honesty speech here I must say I am truly happy he found you again."

Sakura chuckled and nodded before smirking. "Why? Because it finally gave you the chance of throwing him out of the room so you could have Eriol all to yourself last night?"

Tomoyo laughed and rolled her eyes playfully, "Aside from that, I'm glad he finally calmed down."

Sakura scoffed. "You call breaking rules last night being calmed? Because I can assure you this idea must've come from him."

Tomoyo chuckled and nodded. "Oh, trust me… he did calmed down." She took her purse from the couch and hanged it from her shoulder. "Now I must go. I have a meeting with a designer that wants to do a joint fashion show."

Sakura nodded. She watched her friend walking towards the door before calling her. "Tomoyo!"

Tomoyo turned towards her.

"Can I ask you something before you leave?"

"Sure."

"You were traveling throughout all of these years since you opened your own company. How did you do it? With Eriol, I mean…"

Tomoyo stared at her friend. While the news hadn't reached the media yet she already knew Syaoran was leaving after this tournament. All of his closest friends and family knew about it. "I know you probably think it's hard… it is hard. But that was my first step, to accept it. After that, everything came out by trusting."

"Were you not afraid?"

Tomoyo smiled. "Many times over. But… you'll never know till you try." She turned around to leave but stopped herself and once more looked at her friend. "Sakura, everyone has heard of Syaoran being a player all around. The media no doubt benefitted the most out of his countless nights. Even I've had my differences with him because of it but take it from someone who's been there to see it unfold right in front of her eyes… even a wolf knows when he's home. I've never seen him look at other women the way he looks at you."

Sakura took a deep breath and nodded while walking towards her friends. She couldn't deny that the next few weeks had created a sort of doubt in her mind. After the tournament, they had planned on taking a week for vacation but then after that he would be taking off to England. She had already gotten their tickets to go to Spain like they had talked about but neither of them dared to touch the other touchy subject. She stood in front of her friend and gave her a hug. "Thanks for everything Tomoyo."

Tomoyo smiled. "I'm glad we had this conversation."

Sakura chuckled while smiling. "So do I."

~ o ~

She didn't know what lured her to come to his practice. I mean, she knew who lured her but what went through her mind when she decided to do this she had no idea. Not one of her brightest moments if she needed to add. After that talk with Tomoyo she just knew she wanted to see him. She watched from the VIP box as he kicked a couple of balls into the net alone. Practiced had been over for the rest of the team just a couple of minutes ago, except for him. Instead of showering like the rest of his teammates he stayed kicking balls into the net alone. One by one she watched him repeat his action until the last ball he had lined up for him had hit the back of the net. Then he left towards the locker room.

She kept looking towards the field. It had taken him years of preparation to finally have a chance to win the most glamorous award for a soccer player… the World Cup. To be recognized as a world champion among other countries. The best of the best. Determination and discipline had led him here. For this he had worked most of his life never stopping to wonder what ifs, learning from past mistakes, and applying what he had learned.

After minutes of thinking about his past she heard the door being opened from behind. She turned towards the sound and tried to stay serious but his sexy arrogant smirking face with wet hair that clearly indicated he had just gotten out of the shower greeted her from the door. Again… she didn't know what lured her into thinking this was a good idea but she still went through with it.

"My Sakura, I didn't know you would abuse your management privileges just to see me. I feel obliged." Syaoran said while closing the door behind him.

She scoffed before rolling her eyes. "As a matter of fact I am not abusing any privileges. My presence here is strictly business." She pointed at some boxes on top of a table.

He smirked and sarcastically replied, "Off course."

She opened one of them and took out the first poster. "I need you to sign these."

He approached the table getting closer to her than the posters. He grabbed the picture she had in her hands instead of one from the box and looked at it. "Is this the picture you liked the most out of the ones I gave you?"

"It's merely a picture that needs your signature on it so we can sell it." She simply replied.

He smiled before quickly pecking her lips taking her by surprise. He watched her expression as she went from frowning to realize what he had done.

"Syaoran-" she started saying but couldn't say more as his lips covered hers once more but this time he kissed her several times before she succumbed to his kiss and allowed him to deepen it.

He tasted her sweet lips as he slowly put the picture down on the table. This morning still fresh on his mind, he laced his hands around her waist and brought her closer to him as he kept enjoying kissing his girlfriend.

Mentally waking up from her dreamlike state she realized what they were doing and quickly turned her head to break the kiss. She stayed slowly catching her breath in his arms but didn't allow him to continue with his little display. "Someone can see."

"You know, I don't remember you being this timid in the bedroom this morning." He cunningly whispered to her ear though it didn't take long for him to feel her hand hitting his stomach making him quickly untangled his hands from around her waist to rub it. He chuckled while bending over a little. He got to admit, her hit had been a little harder than he thought it would be.

"I am working." She quickly said not feeling sorry at all for hitting him and looking around to make sure no one had seen their little display of affection.

He kept laughing a little before finally going towards the box full of his pictures. He sat down, picked up one of the markers and started signing the pictures. "How many of these do I have to sign?"

"Three boxes."

He nodded. "Did you miss me so much since this morning you decided to watch me practice?" he cunningly asked.

"Don't be so conceited. I'm merely doing my job." She answered but at the same time smiling.

He chuckled. "Your job? I thought you sent Suri to do these types of things for you."

"Suri is a project manager now. I'm trying to train a new assistant."

"Tsk! Aw… just when we had started to get along." He sarcastically said as he kept signing his pictures. In reality, she had been a pain at the beginning though he had to admit his attitude was probably to blame for that.

Sakura chuckled. "You know… perhaps for your little show of attention I could increase the boxes to five…" she said as a warning.

He scoffed but kept signing. "Five would only keep you here longer. So… by all means increase them."

She shook her head while smiling. Looking at his signature she frowned. She walked towards the table and bent a little to see what he had scribbled on the pictures he had already signed. "I need you to sign the pictures Syaoran. Not to do a graphic display of intertwined lines without any form that resembles your name."

He stopped and looked at her. "This is my signature."

"Is it? I don't see and S in that signature."

He smirked. "It's an X… it's in Chinese."

She narrowed her eyes at him. The fact that he was being a smart ass about it let her know he wasn't serious about this. "Do you think this is a game?"

He smiled. "I missed you." He took advantage of her being near to give her a quick kiss once more before sitting down on the chair. "Since this morning too."

She took a deep breath before saying, "I will call my new assistant to come relieve me of this small duty if you don't keep signing those pictures."

"No more five boxes?" he asked smirking before noticing the seriousness on her face. "Fine. I'll keep signing. Though just for the record… this is my signature."

She was about to say something but was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. She looked to see Choi had come in before closing the door after.

"Ms. Kinomoto." He said giving a small bow to greet her. "I see you've found Syaoran. Is he being difficult?"

"Not at all. I was able to get him right after practice but thank you for making sure." She said.

Syaoran stared at her. Had she spoken to him about this? As far as he knew Choi hadn't contacted him to let him know Sakura would be asking for signed posters from him.

"Off course."

A small vibration made Sakura look inside her small purse to find her cell phone. "I'm sorry. I have to take this." Looking at the caller ID she excused herself and walked out of the room.

Choi watched her close the door after walking out. For some reason it still bothered him to know Syaoran wasn't communicating the way he needed him to but was more surprised to find out the reason for it had just left this room. If there was one thing that was important to him as an agent was to have communication with his players at all time. It didn't need to be specific but it would tremendously help him do his job better if he was on top of everything and for that things needed to be said. He sighed and looked at Syaoran. "I will ask you this one last time. Are you serious about this one Syaoran?"

He scoffed before going back to signing his pictures. "I am."

"Look at me." He calmly said knowing someone's posture when talking could give away hidden meanings.

Syaoran looked at him a little more serious than intended. "I said I am."

"Fine." Choi replied. "I'll deal with the media then."

Syaoran went back to signing his pictures. Given the number of pages inside each box he knew it would take him at least twenty to thirty minutes although he would much rather have his girlfriend be the one to supervise him right this instant. "What's the point of it? When this tournament is over everyone will find out anyways."

"Do you think that's all they do when they find out about something like this? You're not that naïve to not know. Your little reporter friend was only the beginning of what could become a greater problem if not handled correctly."

Oh, the problem wasn't that he didn't know… the problem resided in that he still wasn't sure how to bring up the conversation when talking to Sakura. She had made it very clear to him she found being in the public eye a nuisance. She had asked him for some time, she had asked him to understand and yet he was in a position where his fame had reached one of the highest rankings for the media. Not being in the public eye was simply not an option when dating him and he was completely conscious about it. He had fought with his agent over this a couple of weeks ago. It simply pissed him off when he had bluntly suggested breaking up with her. But honestly speaking, it wasn't until his manager brought it up that the subject started to trouble him. As much as he wanted to deny it, he knew each and every word said in that room that day was said out of concern. And he was grateful that Choi was that kind of person. He put his marker down and sighed. "What can be done?"

"I would say take things slow but I'm certain you won't listen. If you can avoid be seeing staying together it would help. Date her for a while before moving in. You know… have the media know you're serious about this one. It's a way of mitigating harsh comments and assumptions."

'Moving in…?' He scoffed at the thought. He wasn't even sure what they would do once he had to leave let alone moving in…

Choi heard the door open. Sakura walked back inside and closed the door after. He looked at Syaoran to finish their small talk. "I need you to communicate Syaoran so I can deal with the media." He looked at Sakura and politely said, "Ms. Kinomoto, I am aware of the relationship you have with my client. Like I said to Syaoran, I will do everything in my power to deal with the media and try to keep your relationship as private as possible."

Sakura looked at him while confidently replying, "I appreciate your help Choi but rest assured I've already taken care of the media problems."

'Taken care of…' the statement caught Syaoran's attention as he looked at his girlfriend. Days ago, he had received a call from Katherine asking him for some help. She had said something he had intentionally discarded thinking it was a lie but for some reason his girlfriend's words brought the conversation back to his mind. "Choi, could you please give us a moment? I need to talk to Sakura alone."

Sakura watched as Choi looked at him curiously but nonetheless nodded before leaving. She could feel the change in his mood by the tone of his voice and knew whatever he was about to speak off displeased him.

He stood up while looking at her. Putting his hands inside his pockets he asked, "Is it true you filed a lawsuit against the entire channel 2 network company?"

She was quite surprised at his question. She was pretty certain she hadn't mentioned anything to him about this and yet he knew. Making sure that her voice never faltered, confidently she answered, "I did."

"To what ends?"

"To whatever ends a lawsuit can bring against a company."

"Why?" he asked.

"Defamation of my name."

"Defamation?"

She nodded making sure to keep her head high. Without a doubt there was something pissing him off about this. She could already feel it in the way he was interrogating her. "The channel has collaborated in having a media circus with my name involved. That is not something I will allow."

"And you think this is the best way to do it? Not everyone who works at that company had a say on what they did to your name."

"It is not my fault they work for such incompetent managers."

He couldn't believe the words he had just heard coming from her mouth. "Sakura! Can you honestly tell me you feel right about this?"

She kept her stance as she confidently answered, "I am right about this. Don't think for one second I will change my mind because you don't see it the way I do. My name was tarnished by that little reporter who thought she could actually do something like this without repercussions. And I warned her of the consequences. Even your sister tried to warn her but she didn't listen. So don't come in and try to blame this on me or even play on the clean conscience."

The lack of emotion in her face as she said the words stirred certain anger inside of him. How in the world could she consider this something appropriate to do? "Even if this was something that Katherine started not everyone has to pay for her mistakes."

She scoffed. "And what do you want? For me to simply let this go? Do you know how many doors will me letting this go open for other media companies to do the same to my name? No." She firmly said.

He shook his head. "So instead you take upon yourself to leave out on the streets hard working people that need employment just to clear your name."

"I will not back down from this Syaoran. My mind is set."

By her words he could only guess his father's lawyer were the ones taking her case which meant she would most probably win without too much effort. So the only alternative he had was to try to make her change her mind even against her strong will. "Your mind is set? Be reasonable Sakura! Can you think of how many people will be jeopardized because of your lawsuit? Parents who have worked hard for years to sustain their families, teenagers growing up learning the business, people who love their profession… This is not something you can honestly tell me you want to do."

"Then they should've chosen a worthy company to work for instead of one without scruples."

He shook his head not believing what he was hearing and sighed. "I will ask father to take out his lawyers. There's no way he would agree to something like this."

"I wouldn't be using the company's lawyers if your father didn't think this is the correct decision." She confidently said leaving no doubt that she was going through with this.

He shook his head. "I can't believe this." He ran his hands through his hair before setting them on his waist. "You know if you want to start pointing fingers then perhaps its better you start with me. I seduced that reporter in one of my trips to Lisbon. It is the reason why she did this? Isn't it?"

Sakura counted up to five in her head while taking a deep breath. She didn't need to be reminded of his previous irresponsible lifestyle. "I warned her to leave me alone and she didn't listen. Don't try to defend her of her own doing. You may have seduced her but that never gave her the right to use my name the way she did. I'm not changing my mind Syaoran. I'm going forward with the lawsuit whether you think it's right or not. Whether you like it or not this is my decision."

He knew he had overstepped his boundary just now with his words but he was angry. In his defense he still thought what she was doing was wrong. Yes, Katherine had said some bad things about her on the media. Yes, she should've never done it. But that didn't mean that Sakura had the right to mess with other people's lives. It was wrong to punish everyone just because of one person. He sighed and looked away. He needed to calm down before doing or worst saying something he would later regret. "Text me when you get to Feimei's apartment." He said before walking out of the room.

~ o ~

She couldn't believe the way her meeting with Syaoran had ended. How in the world did they go from having an amazing morning waking up cuddled together to end up having a harsh argument in the afternoon? And to make it worst, about something that he clearly knew had pissed her off from the very beginning. How dare he bring his past encounter with that idiot to her face? Did he have a dead wish?

In the end, Choi had to take the rest of the boxes down towards the locker room to have him sign the rest of the posters. Even with their fight he was oblige to follow the rules of the tournament and that also meant with selling merchandise. She drove through the familiar roads till she reached the Li's house. She had agreed with Xiefa on leaving the signed posters at her house so she could take them in the morning to be accounted for. Opening her car door after parking her car, she walked out and rang the doorbell. Wei greeted her as usual with a smile on his face and she greeted him with a small bow and a smile perfected over time that hid her turmoil feelings away. Having an argument with Syaoran wasn't an excuse not to greet people friendly. "Wei, the posters are in the back seat of the car." He nodded while walking out towards her car.

"Mmm you're back!"

She looked to her side to find Xian with his usual glass of whiskey in hand reclined on his office door looking at her.

"A glass of your whiskey is just what I need after talking with your son." She said while walking towards his office. She walked passed him inside his office and served herself a glass.

"Aren't you going a little overboard with that glass?" he asked.

She shook her head without looking at him. "Nope. I'm actually surprised to find you awake. I thought you took the rest of the day off to rest. Won't Yelan be pissed for finding you out of the room and inside your office nonetheless? Are you even allowed to drink whiskey?"

He walked to stand next to her looking outside the window. "She's actually traveling." He watched as she down her glass before serving herself another one. "I would've thought you would at least last a month before having your first argument with my son. What do you think about buying our own TV station?"

She was about to drink her second glass but stopped and looked at him. "Channel two?"

He drank his before answering her. "I told Yelan about your lawsuit."

Sakura nodded in acknowledgement. "What does she think?"

"Did I mention she's traveling?"

Sakura smirked and lowered her head a little to hold her laugh. It was amazing… Syaoran resembled his father physically but when it came to his attitude it was quite obvious he had a combination from both of them. His strong persevering trait along with his analyzing skills came from his father. But what she found rather amusing and a little bothersome right now was the fact that out of all the traits he could get from his mother he actually got her emotional side when dealing with people.

"Yelan is concerned about the whole lawsuit against the channel and the well being of the people inside of it though I believe her biggest anger comes from her words, and I quote… I encouraged you. If my intuition is correct, my son will probably head the same direction once he knows."

Sakura scoffed before smirking at both of their predicaments. "He's already there."

"Mmm…" Xian thoughtfully said. "So, how about buying our own TV station? It would look better in our investment portfolio, we won't leave thousands of people out of a job as my wife so dearly exaggerated in our conversation, we can find good management for it, and we both have a happy ending."

"I thought part of this lawsuit was to set an example. If we buy the channel, there's a big chance word on the street will be we bought the channel to manipulate the news. At that point, what would we have accomplished?"

"Then let me explain it better since I have much vast experience on this. Let's say my son found out today about the lawsuit."

"He did." She quickly answered in an almost grunting way not at all pleased with how this was going so far.

Xian nodded fortifying his point. "You'll be able to fight this head on for a day. You will probably stay strong for about three to four days but when that weekend comes, you'll end up giving him whatever he wants so that you can go back to having your normal life just like it was since before he found out. In the end, you'll end up having nothing. Accomplishments you ask…? I will have a channel in my business portfolio and my wife back no later than tomorrow."

Sakura listened carefully to Xian's words. Since she had arrived in China he had been like a mentor to her. "Will they be willing to sell?"

"They'll have no choice after your lawsuit."

She nodded. "Fine then." She drank the rest of her glass and put it down. "Just a quick reminder, my flight for Japan leaves tomorrow. I'll be back the day of the final game."

"I see you haven't reconsidered about coming back tomorrow night?"

Sakura smiled. "I haven't seen my father in a while. When I was supposed to visit him my boss didn't have any problems with me rescheduling my trip so I could take care of his son's recuperation." Then she smirked. "I'm glad he doesn't have any problems either with me spending a night in Japan with my father tomorrow."

Xian chuckled. "None at all of course, I just wanted to make sure that you were certain of how many days you wanted to stay over. I hope you don't mind at all but I will ask my pilot anyway to have the jet ready for tomorrow night just in case you do change your mind at the last minute."

Sakura knew why he was doing it. There was almost nothing more important than this new project he had set his eyes upon, his wife returning home probably made the top of that list. But still, Sakura assured him, "When I come back, I'm going straight from the airport to the meeting with Mr. Cheng. There's nothing to worry about."

~ o ~

Once they reached their hotel, he went straight to his room and took another shower. He welcomed the cold water in his head as he allowed it to calm his mood. He was still thinking about his argument with Sakura. Out of the other small little encounters he already had with her this by far reached a new high. Shutting the shower off, he walked out of the bathroom and dressed in his team sweatpants and sleeveless black tank top while allowing Eriol to enter the bathroom for his turn.

He lied down on his bed and put his hands behind his head while facing the ceiling. The night already promised long dark hours of running thoughts and sleepless rest till the morning to him. There was something still bothering him about the whole deal. While talking to her, he sternly watched her expressions. Not a small bit of pity could be seen in her facial expressions as she talked about the lawsuit. Something had definitely changed just like Sayuri had told him that day.

"_She's not the same cheerful little girl she was when you dated her years ago. Her cheerleading days were over a long time ago. I'm telling you she's changed but I know you won't take my word for it…"_

He found her words had been surprisingly true. Sakura wasn't the same girl that left years ago. Then again, she had already warned him herself about this. And yet, he didn't know to what extent her words could reach. To make matters worse he had also added to the plate his stupidity of not thinking before speaking. He was wrong to think he could go head to head with her on this. He had been wrong in every sense of the word. He hadn't being calm, he didn't think this through… Bottom line, he said things he immediately knew could cost him dearly. If he would've done it in the past with any other girl he had been through he wouldn't feel bad at all. They would probably listen to him and in the end give him whatever he wanted.

But it was different. Sakura wasn't just any girl. Fighting with her while being angry had to be one of the stupidest things he could ever do. He knew she wasn't easy to deal with and he loved that about her but there was a difference between doing what was right and passing judgment on your own. He was certain most of the people working for that company didn't deserve what she was about to do.

He looked at his phone after feeling it vibrating.

*Hey! Just got to your sis apartment

She had texted him just like he had asked her to. He had been worried reporters could be following her around today. Perhaps it was because she stayed the night or maybe because she had been into the stadium with him a couple of hours ago. More than likely he had been more worried than usual because he already knew how this lifestyle changed things. Once the media got wind of something they wouldn't put it down till they were sure they had satisfied the rest of the world's curiosity about other people's life.

He hadn't mind before but having Sakura at his side made him feel wary of it now. Another hindrance on the way of their relationship. He wasn't sure how she would cope with his lifestyle at all. It was already a given she didn't like to be in the public eye and he was way far from not being in it. Choi had suggested taking it slow but, how much slower could they take things? He only had a couple of weeks with her before he had to go away to England. Not being able to spend the time with her the way he wanted wasn't something he was willing to do.

And then England… the touchy sour subject neither of them wanted to touch. For many couples, it was a simple decision that could be made by either both living in the same place or simply have a long distance relationship. That wasn't his case. There was nothing simple about being with Sakura. Her way of thinking wasn't exactly like any other woman. Her headstrong personality made him think about the only choices he probably had regarding this matter.

Although she was strong when it came to business he knew she was still holding back when it came to their relationship. Last night was a clear indication of it. She had been able to express a small bit of her feelings with him but as quickly as it came it stopped. Then there was the small comment out of the blue about her cousin the other day which made him conclude she wasn't entirely sure about him. She had agreed on being with him but she was still keeping him at bay.

Eriol got out of the bathroom drying his hair with a towel. He found his cousin looking at the ceiling and scoffed. "What's wrong with you now?"

"Sakura's not coming with me to England." He said without taking his eyes off from staring at the ceiling. He usually didn't talk to his Eriol about these things but perhaps by talking it out he could think on what he could possibly do about this.

Eriol stared at his cousin. "Did she tell you that?" He had to admit he was already getting a little nervous with the way this conversation was going. This was indeed bad news especially if Sakura had already made her decision. Judging by past experiences, she had already being the cause for them losing a tournament but he couldn't believe she had this conversation with him days before the final game.

"She doesn't have to."

Having heard his answer calmed a little his uneasiness. "So you're assuming? You could always have a long distance relationship with her…"

"She doesn't believe in that."

"She didn't believe in that." Eriol mentioned making sure to say didn't, as in past, louder than usual to state his point. "Maybe she changed her way of thinking man. I mean, she did agree on giving you a second chance. I don't think she would do that if she was planning on it being only for a month."

What his cousin said made sense. If it only was that simple but no, it never was with her. He didn't think that part of her changed and what was worse she still didn't trust him.

~ o ~

She woke up the next morning and the first thing she did was look at her cell phone. Syaoran hadn't text her back last night and there was no message from him today which meant he was still pissed with her about the whole lawsuit deal. She was curious to know how he had found out about it. His father would've definitely not said anything to him. His mother perhaps could've but she was more preoccupied with how he did in this tournament. So that discarded that option until maybe after the tournament. Xiefa would've followed her father's footsteps on this matter. She doubted any of the girls would speak about it.

Then her mind turned to the culprit in this whole situation… the reporter Katherine. He must've talked to her. She would be the only person who would at least try to get something out of her predicament. A misfortune caused by her own ignorance of not leaving her alone when being advised to do so and yet she had the audacity to keep her charade of innocent person in all of this. Sakura scoffed. 'How dare she…?' If it did anything at all, it angered her more the fact that Syaoran was still communicating with her after everything she had to put up with because of that idiot.

Reclining her head against her arm she sighed. There was nothing she hated more than he being angry with her. What his father had said dwelled on her mind as she once again looked at her phone before letting it fall with a thud in the counter. This dance pace would only last a couple of more hours on her while he could go many days dancing at this beat. She utterly hated when he was mad but her pride refused to text him once more. There was no way she would. She had texted last night just like he had asked when she arrived at his sister's apartment and got no answer from him. Looking at her phone this morning she still hadn't gotten an answer. She still hadn't even gotten a good morning from him.

"Anything bothering you?" Feimei asked as she round Sakura's chair to enter the kitchen. Reaching for one of the top cabinets, she took out the coffee and quickly set the machine to make her morning espresso.

Once again Sakura sighed. "Why are men so difficult to please?"

Feimei scoffed before chuckling. Taking out her cup of coffee she turned around and smirked. "Problems in paradise so quickly…? My my Sakura. What is this? Like your third argument already and you still haven't been together for a month?"

"Your brother found out about the lawsuit."

Feimei smelled her coffee. Ah! Morning happiness quickly rushed into her body after trying the first sips of it. "And?"

"He's totally against it."

Sakura's answer intrigued her. "What? He's defending that sore loser?"

"He's concerned about the rest of the people not involved in Katherine's scheme."

"Oh!" Feimei said while taking another sip of her coffee. 'Well father must be very happy with how this lawsuit turned out…' she thought before looking at her friend who in a short time had become like another one of her sisters. "Well, he does kind of have a point with that one."

"I just feel like sometimes we think so differently."

Feimei rolled her eyes relieved at what she had just said. "Oh thank goodness. Can you imagined if you both thought alike? How boring would that be?"

"I'm serious Feimei. Sometimes I feel like we're walking in different directions. What he wants it's totally different from what I want."

"Well, no one said it was easy Sakura. Being in a relationship is never easy. On the contraire, it takes a lot of work to make it work. You won't always agree on everything but the important thing is to talk things through and know that sometimes you will have to compromise and other times he will have to do it instead."

Sakura looked at her. "Since when did you become a love doctor?"

Feimei smirked and winked. "Sshh! It's my secret job. No one must know."

Sakura chuckled.

"How is father, by the way?" Feimei curiously asked.

Sakura smirked. "You're mother is traveling."

Feimei cunningly smiled and sighed. "Ah! Compromise… Compromise…" she sarcastically said before smirking and taking another sip of her coffee. Her mother was definitely the one that wore the pants in her house. Her father could fearlessly handle any meeting with ease. He could command a board of directors to accept anything he wanted. His tyrannous image played with the insecurities of many inside the business field. But when it came to her mother's wishes, Xian Li had no say in the matter. It was simple. The only cause for his failure to obtain something was named Yelan Li.

**Author's Note:** Phew! Finally chapter 21 is out. Thank you everyone who reviewed my last chapter. Hope you guys like this one and as always read and review. Let me know what you think! ; )


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